


Life is an Adventure

by Crazy4U



Category: Monster Prom (Visual Novel)
Genre: Animal Transformation, Babies, Being Lost, Bonding, Camping, Character Development, Chinchillas, Denial of Feelings, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Family Bonding, Family Shenanigans, Food, Hospitals, Implied Sexual Content, Married Couple, Mild Blood, One Shot Collection, Pregnancy, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-30
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:48:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 31,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21610063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crazy4U/pseuds/Crazy4U
Summary: No one expected the concept of fear and a temperamental slayer to get married, let alone have a kid, but stranger things have happened.  Now Oz and Aaravi are embracing an adult life together.  Hey, it can't be any harder than high school, right?  Right???A loose collection of episodic one shots taking place in the same universe.
Relationships: Aaravi the Slayer/Yellow | Oz, Blue | Vicky/Scott Howl, Blue | Vicky/Vera Oberlin, Calculester Hewlett-Packard/Red | Amira, Green | Brian/ Miranda Vanderbilt, Polly Geist/Red | Amira, Valerie Oberlin/Damien LaVey
Comments: 10
Kudos: 70





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be a series of one shots all taking place in the same universe. Some will be flashbacks, other will continue on in a linear fashion. Oz and Aaravi is a bit of a rarepair, but hopefully that'll change after Monster Camp comes out.

As the living embodiment of fear, Oz was always imagining the worst scenarios possible. During his time in high school he was always dreaming up strange and bizarre events, none of which came true. Save for the one about his mirror double showing up and challenging him to a knife fight. That had been strange but at least he was prepared. One thing high school Oz never could have predicted was his current life.

The shadow man unlocked the door to his condo, breathing a sigh of relief. His job was hardly taxing, but it always felt nice to be home and unwind with the love of his life. It wasn't a palace but Oz loved his condo. There were two bedrooms, but one was used for storage and where he did his writing, and the master bedroom. The decor was a little strange, IKEA furniture with knickknacks and trophies all over the place, gold being the unifying color in this rejected antique/hunting shop.

“I'm home!” Oz called out, putting down his bag.

“Hey! I'll be right there!” 

Oz looked up from his shoes and gazed down the hallway, gasping when he saw his wife carrying a heaping basket of laundry. Kicking off his shoes he took the basket from her, giving her a sharp look.

“Aaravi, I told you I would do this.” Oz said.

The small woman glared at him. “It's just laundry.”

“You shouldn't strain yourself. At least do a smaller load.” Oz said.

He looked at her stomach, which bulged out under her lavender tank top. Aaravi crossed her arms over her chest, cheeks puffed up. Oz met her gaze, but he prayed she couldn't see the strain on his face. This basket was so heavy. Did it have her armor in it? She hadn't been adventuring since she started showing.

The day they had gotten the news still stuck in his mind. Aaravi thought it was just indigestion but, being the paranoid man he was, Oz insisted on taking her to the doctor. The news hit him like a freight train. Bewilderment, joy, then finally settling on fear. Aaravi had been silent, until she gave him a smile.

“I'm going to teach our kid how to kick so much ass!” She said, her smirk huge.

Still, Oz promised himself he would try harder and keep Aaravi and their baby safe. It started with taking more hours so she could relax, then making sure she didn't over exert herself. Was it enough?

“It's just laundry, and it's stupid dumping clothes out just to put them back in the basket.” Aaravi said. 

“Sit down, I'll put it in and then I can start dinner.” Oz said.

“You've been working all day!” Aaravi said, narrowing her eyes.

“I'm a librarian. I didn't even shelve that many books today.” Oz said. “I could stand to be on my feet a little. I'm sure you've been taking care of the house all day.”

“I've been playing Federation of Fables.” Aaravi said, lowering her gaze.

“That's good though, you need to take it easy.”

Oz was hoping this argument would end soon, as the basket felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. Her anger issues had been worked through, but Aaravi was still unbelievably stubborn. There was something admirable about how steadfast she could be, even at a time like this. The poor shadowman's fingers and shoulders were starting to burn, he needed to put the basket down. He did just that.

“I'll make you some tea, then we can talk about the chores” Oz said.

Aaravi was quiet for a moment. “Okay. Make me some tea. Then you can do the laundry, I won't stop you.” 

The Slayer sat down on the couch, and Oz went to the kitchen to turn the kettle on. Their apartment was small, which meant he could still talk to her from the kitchen. Sure, it wasn't great for big parties, but both of them were more into small get togethers anyways.

“How was your day? Go on any good raids?” Oz asked.

“I did a few with Damien and Scott, but I miss going out on real raids. Less micro transactions and more actual treasure.” Aaravi said.

“I hear ya.” Oz said.

Honestly, Aaravi's adventuring was a much better income than Oz's job, though his did give him good benefits. Oz scanned over the boxes of tea, a phobia peeking over his shoulder looking with him. There was lots of earl gray, which was apparently a favorite of slayers the world over. As good as more energy would be it wasn't smart, they both needed something more relaxing. Oz took a box of chamomile tea, and prepared two cups. 

In a fit of 'soon to be father' paranoia, Oz had looked up everything a pregnant person should not do, eat, drink, look at, think about, or imagine. In the first trimester chamomile and other herbal teas could lead to miscarriages, but that was only very early on. Aaravi was currently big enough that strangers on the street were asking for her due date, so it should be safe.

“Do you need any milk or sugar?” Oz asked, peeking into the living room.

From the kitchen, Oz could see his wife resting on the couch, her feet resting on the ottoman. She looked so cute, resting her head against the back of the sofa, sunlight on her freckled face. Aaravi opened an eye but avoided his gaze.

“Yes please.” She answered.

Typically Aaravi liked her tea sweet, but it was always good to check. Oz prepared the teas and brought them to the coffee table, along with a saucer for the tea bags. He sat down next to her, giving a sigh of contentment. 

“Thank you.” Aaravi said taking the cup in her hands.

“Did I do a good job?” Oz asked watching her sip.

Aaravi gave a small smile. “The perfect amount of sugar, and the tea isn't cold.”

“I still got it.” Oz said, doing a small fist pump.

Aaravi snuggled closer to him, tea cup against her chest. Oz put his free hand around her shoulder, eagerly accepting her contact. Quiet moments with Aaravi were a treasured thing, even during the pregnancy. She was more willing to take it easy, but there was so much that needed to be done.

“I should make dinner soon.” Oz said.

Aaravi looked up at him, her face devoid of amusement. “Are you serious?”

“You need food, and I'm getting kind of hungry.” Oz listed. “And I need to do the laundry too. I'm sure there's stuff I've forgotten.”

“Isn't it exhausting being so worried all the time?” Aaravi asked, pulling away from Oz.

Sadly, the shadowman gazed at his tea. “I just get worried so easily...”

Being a worry wart was kind of Oz's thing, and he thought he had gotten it down to a healthy amount of paranoia. It was good to think things over, spot any potential problems before they arise and prepare for anything that could go wrong. Maybe that wasn’t a great way to look at it and it was actually a huge detriment to him and his family. Did Aaravi still have Norah's number? What sort of monster would Norah make him fight? If it was doused in black paint and smothered by a cardigan he might actually have a chance.

“I don't mind it.” Aaravi said.

Her words caught him off guard. Oz studied her as she sipped her tea, her ears flicked slightly. She had something on her mind, and he waited for her to speak again.

“I like it when you worry about me, and the baby. I know they're going to have the blood from a long line of slayers running through their veins, so they may have enemies even before they're born... But...”

“I'm sorry I'm not a great fighter.” Oz said, reaching out to touch her shoulder. “I could try taking some more defensive magic lessons.”

“You're always busy!” Aaravi cried.

Oz's eyes widened, he nearly dropped his empty teacup. Before he could speak, Aaravi continued, eyes screwed shut.

“I want you to come home and spend time with me. I miss snuggling with you and watching TV. I can do more chores, I don't mind doing laundry. I'd rather you spent your time...” Aaravi blushed. “Babying me.”

Carefully putting down his tea cup, Oz hugged Aaravi, also being careful of her tea. He buried his face in her hair, breathing in her coconut scented shampoo and her unique fragrance. It was a moment before Aaravi hugged him back, resting her head against his chest.

“I'm so stupid. I should have realized I wasn't giving you enough attention.” Oz said.

“I felt guilty. You're working so hard.” Aaravi said, looking up at him.

“It's to make you happy. But if it's upsetting you, then I can change.” Oz said, bringing his face close to hers.

They kissed gently, both tasting of sweet chamomile on each other lips, before breaking the kiss and resting their foreheads together. Aaravi's emerald eyes gazed into his, not a hint of anger or blood lust in them. She was still an impressive warrior, but she had found peace within herself, and it seemed to grow a little more each day. The fire was still there though, and it flared up on occasion, though it typically had good cause to do so.

Oz reached up, touching Aaravi's ear lobes. Ever since he first saw her with her hood down, the shadowman had been fascinated by her ears. His fingers traced along the tips, making her bite her lip. 

“Q- Quit it!” Aaravi snapped, narrowing her eyes.

“I'm sorry.” Oz said, pulling his hand away.

“Do you want to snuggle a bit?” Aaravi asked.

It sounded really nice. “But I should make dinner.”

“Lets order out.” Aaravi said, grabbing the blanket on the arm of the couch.

Oz shrugged and grabbed his phone from his pocket. “What sounds good? Pizza, chinese, Italian, Thai soul food fusion?”

“I don't care.” Aaravi snapped, but her stomach growled. “... Get a pizza. Pepperoni and olives. Extra large.”

The green eyed slayer rested her head against Oz's shoulder, pulling the blanket over herself. Despite being small, she had a weight to her. It was all muscle and how she held herself, but there was the added heaviness of the baby. Oz closed his eyes, thanking the forces of the universe that brought them together, that Aaravi had come to trust him so much and in turn he could trust her. 

Oz placed the order for the pizza, and snuggled in closer to Aaravi, pulling her against him. He wasn't a big guy, but she could feel so small in his arms. It made him feel like he could actually protect her and keep her safe. And he would.


	2. Work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ever want to see Oz married to Aaravi while working at a library, and Leonard gets beaten up? Well, that's what happens in this chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was both really hard to write, and lot of fun. Mainly though, it took way too long to get done and publish, but I've already started on chapter 3! There is some violence in this, but it's light and it happens to Leonard. Also, Oz and Aaravi eat Italian food!

Oz looked down at his phone, sighing. 

First, he left a message, then he called. One call became two calls, then three, and not one of them got an answer. He felt bad enough, but now that Aaravi wasn’t answering her phone, Oz’s stomach sank. Maybe she took a shower, or a nap. The shadowman shut his eyes, repeating over and over again that the worse case scenario wasn't always reality. This level of caution wasn't even normal for him. What shook him up so much was the news he had to tell his wife.

With only a minute left of his break he would have to get back to work. Oz looked back to his messages. He didn’t enjoy telling Aaravi important stuff over messages, preferring to hear her voice, but in the scheme of things this wasn’t super important. Well, they had that big conversation about him working fewer hours and spending more time with her, but it wasn’t about the money this time! Well, okay, he wouldn’t be denying the extra pay, but that’s not the point.

“The librarian in charge of the kid’s section had an emergency.” Oz read over this old message. “I have to stay a little late, sorry. I love you!”

The clock kept ticking down, but his break wasn't over yet! Oz swiped with fingers over his smartphone, adding one more message.

“P.S. I’ll make the mango curry you like!”

The living embodiment of fear clocked out and returned to his desk. The library was one of the oldest buildings in the city. It was only three stories tall but took up half a block, so large that the top floor was mainly storage with some office space. Oz and the library went way back. When he first found himself in Monsteropolis (and found himself with an actual body) he’d spent a lot of time in the library. It seemed fitting that he would work there, now that he found his place in monster society.

Oz sat down at his desk. Normally this would be about the time he would head home, so he had gotten everything done, and he still had some time before he had to go to the kid’s section. The library seemed quiet too. There were a few people browsing, and a few on the computers, so he could just relax but Oz wanted something to take his mind off Aaravi. Maybe he could read a little, or just go downstairs and get ready to read to the kids.

“Well, well, look who’s busy being a wage cuck.”

Oz’s spine turned ridged the moment that voice touched his ear drums.

“Hello sir, what can I do for you?” Oz asked, his customer service muscle memory kicking in. There was barely a drop of contempt in his voice, which Oz was proud of.

Sure enough, Leonard was peeking over his desk. Dare I say, he somehow looked more greasy and gross since the last time the shadowman had been unfortunate enough to see him. How long ago had that been? Since Con Con? When he’d forcefully ejected for not showering followed by him causing a scene?

“Look, my power went out, because of... A downed power line, not because I forgot to pay the bill.” Leonard insisted, leaning in closer to the desk. “You need to let me onto one of these pieces of crap.”

“That’s fine. You use your library card ID.” Oz explained.

After Leonard finished with the computer he would have to disinfect it and wipe the hard drive. Should he leave a note for the other librarian?

“I can’t. Some snowflake banned me.” Leonard continued.

Oz glanced at his computer, opening the file for “banned from computers.”. Yup, banned. It also looked like he had an overdue library book too.

“Sorry, but I can’t let you do that. Try the cyber cafe down the street?” Oz said.

“What do you mean you can’t?” Leonard growled.

“I- I can’t.” Oz said.

Leonard wasn’t hard to deal with, infuriating and smelly but not difficult, but the pressure of customer service truly made this an absolute minefield. None of the other librarians were close by, and how lame would it be if he had to call someone because of this living pile of trash?

“Make me a new card or whatever!” Leonard insisted.

It happened so fast, Oz didn’t even have time to think of what he would say. A flash of green and periwinkle bolted into view, and a muffled groan a few feet from where Leonard was sending. Aaravi pulled up from her crouching position (had she been creeping around the tops of the bookshelves?) and stalked over to the fallen kappa, the grin of a madwoman on her face.

“I know a place downtown that serves kappa liver on the black market.” Aaravi said, despite her size she loomed over Leonard.

The kappa crawled backwards until his back hit a bookshelf. He got to his feet, always keeping Aaravi in his field of vision, and bolted. Oz wasn’t sure if he was heading to the exit, or if he was losing himself deeper in the labyrinth of shelves and books, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

“Isn’t that the guy who used to bug Zoe?” Aaravi asked, stabbing her thumb in the kappa’s direction.

Oz nodded. “Thanks. I owe you one.”

“I hope he doesn’t come here a lot. Maybe I'll come and patrol here too.” Aaravi said, leaning against the desk.

“What brings you here? Not that I’m not thankful to see you, I… got a little worried when you didn’t answer your phone.” Oz said.

Aaravi fished in her bag and looked at her phone. She raised an eyebrow.

“You called three times?” She asked.

“I had to tell you something. Then I got worried.” Oz said, lowering his head.

“I turned the sound off when I was taking a nap. I forgot to turn it back on.” Aaravi said, sounding a little embarrassed herself.

The adventurer was bad at checking her phone, especially when out. She could feel the vibration, but would always tell herself she would check later, which meant she would see it by the time she got home and settled down and needed to google who played Detective Wereweasel.

“Since you’re here, I’ll tell you. Fancy, the librarian in charge of the kid’s section, had to leave early and now there’s no one to do the afternoon story telling.” Oz said.

For a second, Oz’s guts twisted a sense of guilt and worry filling him. After the talk about him spending more time together, and now he was doing this. He looked up at Aaravi’s face, and instead of seeing a scowl, or a glower of disappointment, she gave a tiny smile.

“Well, if it’s an emergency.” Aaravi said. “You're a dependable guy after all.”

“You’re not upset?” Oz asked.

Aaravi gave him a look. “No. But the reason I came was because I found that coupon I got. The one for the Italian place nearby!”

It had been a big deal when it happened. Sure there had been collateral damage, but for a fight between Aaravi and a feral carniboar it could have been a lot worse. The owner of the restaurant was so thankful, he gave Aaravi a coupon for half-off her order. They might as well use it.

“Oh! I forgot about that. So no mango curry tonight?” Oz said.

“You thought I would be that upset?” Aaravi asked.

True. That was Oz’s go-to recipe when he made Aaravi upset, or whenever Oz got paranoid. He gave her a small shrug, no need to let her know how worried he’d been.

“It sounded good. And we have mangoes in the fridge.” Oz said.

“Make it some other time.” Aaravi’s gaze went to the floor. “Also, I was going to look for some books but maybe I could... Watch you read?”

“Yeah, that’d be kinda nice.” Oz said, perking up.

“It won’t be creepy?” Aaravi asked.

“You are a mother-to-be.” Oz said, motioning to her. “And if anyone gets upset, you are my wife.”

“I’ll stay out of the way.” Aaravi said.

The basement hardly felt like a basement. A chocolate colored carpet covered the floor while the walls were painted a light blue, many lights illuminating the short, colorful shelves. All the colors were bright and didn’t smell the slightest bit musty though there was a faint scent of popcorn. This floor was divided with one side being the kids' area, and on the other side was the section for young adults, including computers. Oz headed to the desk where the other librarian sat.

“Hey, Andrew.” Oz said to the dryad sitting at the desk.

The plant being raised his hands, signing a greeting to Oz. There was a reason Andrew couldn’t do today’s reading, though it was good when they had a deaf child in the audience. Andrew motioned to a small stack of books on the desk, about three of them, including a chapter book with a bookmark.

“Thanks.” Oz said, taking the books.

The reading nook, as they called it, was an area in the corner, a circle of small seats and pillows around a bigger chair which was located right under a panel of the overhead light. On the wall were many cutouts of scenes from kids' books, and drawings by children, all arranged in a pleasing manner. Fancy always did a good job decorating the library. A small crowd of children was already gathered in the reading nook, they were talking among each other, or looking around the library, as if trying to find their usual librarian.

“Hey everyone.” Oz said approaching the kids, his hand raised in a display of both greetings and submission. “I’m going to be reading for Miss Lanigera today. Yeah?”

Oz pointed to a little lizard boy who had raised his hand. He wasn’t finished talking, but what would it hurt to hear what a child had to say? ...That was going to be a big mistake.

“Is she fired?” The boy asked.

“I think she died!” Another kid said this one was an oni girl.

“I bet you she walked outside and didn’t remember her umbrella!” A wereweasel child cried, waving their arms.

“She probably got slay-ed!” A cat child said.

Oh god, what had he gotten himself into? One kid wasn’t a problem, or even two, but when they all started screaming and shouting and rolling on the floor like this, it was just too much. Oz looked to the set of other chairs in the room, where Aaravi had decided to sit. He focused on her belly. He would have to be strong, for Aaravi, for their baby!

“Alright!” Oz said, voice raised but not quite a shout. “Fancy did not die, get slain, eat garlic, or fall on a steak. She will be back tomorrow, but right now it’s story time!”

There was a learning curve involved in all of this. Oz struggled with holding the book up while trying to read the text upside down, only to realize he could read it, then show the crowd the pictures. The second book got easier, and finally the chapter book. Since he was starting in the middle, he felt a little lost, but the kids seemed to have a good time. By the time the shadowman finished, and all the kids had gotten up, his throat felt like sandpaper. Oz went to the drinking fountain, gulping down water until it dripped down his chin.

“You okay?” Aavari’s voice came from behind him.

Oz snapped up, some water spraying on his cardigan. Aaravi laughed softly, which made his shoulders relax.

“Anything else you need to do?” Aaravi asked.

“Just clock out, then would you like to join me for dinner, madame Mishra?” Oz asked, giving her a bow.

The hybrid woman laughed once more. “Alright, lets regroup at the entrance.”

The Italian restaurant was a short walk away, a little further than the bus stop. This was Oz’s first time going, which was a surprise since Brian really enjoyed going to different restaurants and usually took his friends with him. Maybe it was a newer place?

The dining area was sectioned off, dimly lit, making it feel smaller inside but giving a pleasant ambiance. Only two other tables were occupied, which made sense because of the time being around four in the afternoon, a little early for dinner. Oz sat in a booth across from Aaravi who was resting her chin on her fist, her brows narrowed and eyes distant. That was the face of a woman who had something on her mind.

Oz thought about what it could be as the waiter came to their table, giving them water and bread with oil and taking their orders. The shadowman asked for the caprese salad with chicken and Aaravi smirked while ordering the restaurant’s signature herb encrusted carniboar flank.

“Aaravi.” Oz spoke, feeding a piece of bread to his phobias.

The green-eyed woman looked up from the bread. “Yeah?”

“If you want to do date stuff like this, you can just say so.” Oz said. “You don’t have to be shy, I love doing stuff like this with you. Really.”

“I’m not being shy. I remembered I had the coupon.” Aaravi said, raising an eyebrow.

“Then why are you being so flustered?” Oz asked.

Aaravi blushed shoving the slice of bread into her mouth so her cheeks puffed out. Now she was really being shy... And cute!

“It was really nice watching you read to those kids. My mom used to read to me and Salil, and...” Her fist clenched only to unclench. “I miss that so much. I’m sorry if it sounds weird.”

Oz’s eyes widened. He hadn’t even thought of that. His hand found Aaravi’s and his fingers encircling her comfortingly.

“I should read to you more.” Oz said, giving her a mouthless smile.

Aaravi nodded, giving him a tiny smile. She was so adorable when she shy like this; it kicked his protective instincts into overdrive.

“You should read to the baby too. Get them used to your voice.” Aaravi said.

“Good idea.” Oz said, wishing he could touch her belly.

“How about I make that mango curry tomorrow?”


	3. Adventure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a big, juicy chapter, and it came out pretty quickly too. I'm really proud of this one, even if it's not perfect. 
> 
> I hope this doesn't deter anyone from writing any "Oz and Aaravi go dungeon crawling" fics. Hell, I hope it encourages people to do so! Don't worry if your fic is similar to this one, I won't sue anyone or ever get mad. I just really want to see more OzxAaravi content. 
> 
> Anyways, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter.

Oz opened his eyes, a sense of warmth surrounded him. A beam of light shone in through the window glinting off the lavender hair of his wife, who was resting her head on his chest. The shadowman’s button-up shirt came undone in the night, and Aaravi’s breath was soft on his bare skin. Carefully, he reached a hand onto her shoulder, petting as gently as possible. Aaravi gave a soft groan, awoken by the gentle touch.

“Morning.” Oz whispered.

“Mornin.” Aaravi’s groaned. “What time is it?”

“It’s early. We have another half hour before I need to.” Oz said.

Aaravi shifted against him, running her hand along his chest. Her hand stopped and her body went stiff for a moment, those dainty fingers tracing a just under his ribs. The room became quiet, Oz no longer felt Aaravi’s gentle breaths. His other hand found hers and squeezed.

“It happened a long time ago.” Oz said.

Never had he seen Aaravi so upset. It wasn’t her idea, so it wasn’t like she had any reason to blame herself. Hell, it happened right about the time they started dating. He made a lot of stupid decisions back then, he was in high school after all. 

Crazy Martin was still cleaning up the mess left from Prom, but some things elbow grease and a good bleaching couldn’t get rid of. Prom was over, and it left a trail of change in its wake.

For starters, Miranda declared to the world that Brian was her boyfriend, and that the families of the water polo team had her deepest sympathies. These two things were probably unrelated though. Not only did Vicky and Vera become a couple, but they started their own fashion company. Amira, Polly and Calculestor went to prom as a trio,and it seemed like the two girls still had plenty of things to teach the robot about life. Liam was seeing Dahlia. He claimed this relationship was “challenging gender norms” and all that. He had a hard time looking bored whenever she lifted him up at least. Also, Damien started spending a lot of time with Valarie.

“So, when you go dungeon crawling, you can find treasure, right?” Oz asked.

Oz and Aaravi sat together at a lunch table in the corner, one of Oz’s phobias on his shoulder. The embodiment of fear decided to impress Aaravi by making both of them a lunch. Heeding Zoe’s advice, Oz bit the bullet and prepared two bento style meals. The shadowman cut up some fruits and vegetables and made riceballs.

“Sometimes. Mostly I find gear, crafting supplies and the occasional power up.” Aaravi explained.

The riceballs were gone in under a minute. Oz made a mental note to prepare more food for her. He was still munching on the second riceball, as he found them to be deceptively filling. On his shoulder, a phobia nibbled on a strawberry.

“So it doesn’t pay a lot?” Oz asked.

“It does if you know what to farm.” Aaravi said. “Why? You need some money?”

“I’d like to make something extra, yeah.” Oz said.

“It’s dangerous, but I know you’re good support.” Aaravi looked down at the lunch box. “And it would be nice to go on a raid without having to worry about food.”

“I can make you as much food as you need!” Oz said, furrowing his eyebrows in determination.

The phobia on his shoulder had eaten the berry and pulled out a tiny sword. Aaravi smiled. Ever since they started hanging out, the Slayer had become fascinated by the fear being's tiny friends.

“You’re too small to be a party member." Aaravi said to the phobia, the looked up at Oz. "But I think you could help. Just stay behind me and let me do all the fighting.”

“You have one of those escape rope things, right?” Oz asked, the phobia on his shoulder put away their sword, and gave a look of playful sullenness.

“Escape tickets?” Aaravi asked, tearing her eyes away from his phobia. “Yeah, I have a ton, since I never use 'em.”

“Then we have nothing to worry about.” Oz said. “You’ll keep me safe.”

Aaravi’s green eyes widened, and she glanced back at her lunch box, picking up a piece of celery and chomping on it aggressively. It wasn’t an angry action, but Oz had come to see it as more of a “My feelings are overwhelming me and I need a moment to process them” thing. It felt good, but Oz couldn’t ignore the twisted knot of worry that grew inside him. He’d suggested this, he’d have to go through with it. It was time for this fearling to be brave.

The following Friday the two met up outside of Aaravi’s favorite dungeon. Oz got off the bus and took in the usual sight. They dedicated a block of city space to the mouth of a vast cave. Various security guards stood around, mostly looking bored, and a fence sectioned off the area. Aaravi waved at him, lounging next to a booth selling supplies.

“Hey!” Oz called, jogging over to her.

“You’re not wearing that, are you?” Aaravi asked, raising an eyebrow.

Oz flinched. He should’ve shelled out the money to get some armor. Instead, he wore this outfit from the school play. At least he looked cool.

“You’d better stay behind me. You remembered my old crossbow, right?” Aaravi asked.

Oz nodded, holding up his rucksack. “I also brought food.”

“There’s meat, right?” She asked.

Oz nodded.

“Perfect!” The Slayer grinned.

“Do you think I should get some armor here?” Oz asked.

“If you want to spend 500 money on a basic leather tunic, then be my guest.” Aaravi said.

“Oh...” Oz said.

“You should have asked me if you needed armor. I already own a million different types, and I know where to get them for cheap.” Aaravi said. “Maybe we can find some for you in the dungeon.”

“Really?” Oz asked, hesitation in his voice.

“Relax. Monsters tend to drop equipment. But I guess that is still grave robbing.” Aaravi said.

The two walked to the entrance of the cave, and two of the bored guards. Nearby was a shabby-looking wizard with a staff and a crystal ball.

“Who’s that?” Oz asked.

“The rescue wizard.” Aaravi answered. “If you faint in the dungeon, they’ll come and rescue you.”

“That’s good.”

“For about 5000 money.”

“Oh.”

“Do you still have those escape tickets I gave you?” Aaravi asked.

Oz reached into his bag, finding the papers exactly where he left them. “Yeah.”

“Then we should be fine.” 

When Oz thought about dungeons, this one felt as if it was ticking of a list of cliches. Damp stone, dark corridors, wooden beams holding up the ceiling and torches covering the walls and filling the inky blackness with their flickering light. The floor was dirt, which was what the whole place smelled of. His phobias stuck close to him, staying under the collar of his shirt.

Oz realized he had never seen Aaravi go all out in a fight before. Armed with only her knife, Aaravi tore through another crowd of slimes splattering the walls with blue and green goo. At school, Aaravi wasn’t even using a third of her skills and power.

“Floor cleared!” Aaravi shouted.

“I’ve never seen you fight like that before.” Oz said. “It’s amazing.”

“This is nothing.” Aaravi smirked.

“Damien and Liam don’t realize how lucky they are that you’ve been holding back.” Oz said.

Aaravi blushed, giving a groan. “I was stupid...”

“What was that?” Oz asked.

“I was just saying that I know I’ve been trying to work through my anger in a healthy way, but there’s nothing like wailing on a swarm of slimes. Let’s keep going!” Aaravi said rushing off.

The two fought through more floors, Aaravi carrying the group as Oz stayed on the sidelines, cheering for her and using the crossbow whenever he could get a clear shot. Now he wished he’d done some target practice. More and more, Oz relaxed and applauded his decision to join her. After Aaravi tore through a mob of monsters, Oz would help her collect whatever they dropped. Most of it was a lot of slime, but they did get a pendant that increased maneuverability, Aaravi let him have that one.

“Hey! Look!” Oz said, pointing down a small passageway.

The path was surprisingly linear for a dungeon, with few branching paths. Oz stopped, and Aaravi spun on her heels to see what had Oz’s attention.

“Ohh! I didn’t notice that!” Aaravi said.

In the flicker of the torches, Oz thought he could see a treasure chest, but Aaravi approached cautiously. It felt strange, seeing her be so cautious, but it was kind of cute.

“What’s wrong?” Oz asked, hanging back.

“It might be a mimic. They’re strong, so you have to be careful.” Aaravi said.

Oz nodded. He trusted her judgment. Aaravi stopped in front of the chest, knife in hand. It looked ordinary enough, made of wood and metal, but she was the adventurer. The small woman kicked it with her boot. Oz flinched back as the top swung open, expecting a fight, but Aaravi gave a triumphant cheer.

“It’s legit!” Aaravi cried.

Oz inched forward, spooked but interested. Not only did he want to see what treasure was inside the chest, but he also wanted a better look at Aaravi’s bum as she bent over. You could say Oz was interested in booty.

“Bloodstone.” Aaravi said, sounding disappointed.

“Really?” Oz asked.

It looked like a green rock. Oz walked up to her, but it still looked like a mundane piece of mineral. Maybe the blood was on the inside?

“It’s just a name. This is more like crafting gear.” Aaravi explained. “Couldn’t it have been obsidian? I just need two more pieces to make the Sun Eater.”

“Are you getting hungry?” Oz asked.

“A lunch break? Good idea! We're almost to the boss room.” Aaravi said.

Would he be able to find the lunch boxes now that his bag was full of loot? Oz found them near the bottom of the bag, right where he left them. After a quick search, the two found a drier area of the floor and sat down, backs to the wall.

“Sandwiches? Nice! Those are easy to eat and full of nutrients!” Aaravi said, opening her lunch box.

It was silly, but Oz felt proud of these. He’d gotten some nice fresh bread from the bakery, used turkey and roast beef, along with lettuce and cheese and finished it up with a nice Dijon horseradish sauce. Had he gone too far? He watched Aaravi intently, waiting to eat until he knew she was satisfied.

“It’s good.” Aaravi said.

“Glad to hear.” Oz said, opening his lunch box.

A low groan wavered in the air, and Oz flinched, the lunch box tumbled from his lap. Aaravi’s hand lashed out, catching his food.

“This place is old and creaky.” Aaravi explained. “The floor is clear, so you don’t have to worry.”

“W- what about mimics?” Oz said, glancing over his shoulder.

“They don’t move until you touch them. Relax.” Aaravi said.

Oz sighed. Aaravi knew what she was doing. He lifted the sandwich to his mouth, taking a bite. Damn, he really outdid himself with this, that bread was SO worth it. In his gastronomical bliss the shadowman shut his eyes. When he opened them, he saw Aaravi staring at him. Not a look of horror like a giant spider was looming over him, but one of interest. She looked away.

“Your mouth.” She explained. “I don’t see it very often...”

“It’s gross.” Oz said, holding the sandwich over the wide split on his face.

“S- Sorry! I didn’t mean to sound- I...” Aaravi stammered. “Why did you want to go dungeon crawling anyways?”

It wasn’t a cruel or accusatory statement. Maybe it was the first thing that came to mind when she tried to change the subject.

“I want to spend more time with you.” Oz answered, then added. “And I want to make some extra cash.”

“So what do you need the money for?” Aaravi asked.

Oz chewed thoughtfully. “I’m nearly done with high school, so I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want to do afterwards. I think I want to work at a museum.”

“So that’s why you wanted to find artifacts. If you turn in enough pieces of pottery to the Monsteropolis museum, they’ll have to give you a job.” Aaravi said.

“I’m not sure if that’s how it works.” Oz said.

“We’re a team! I find the treasure, and you tell everyone about it.” Aaravi said.

“How do you know I can’t find treasure on my own? I might even wind up being a better adventurer than you.” Oz teased.

Aaravi burst out laughing at this. Oz lifted his hand, then lowered it. He wanted to say something, but what?

“I didn’t know you could be so funny.” Aaravi said.

“You really think I’m not cut out for this?” Oz asked.

Aaravi sobered up. “Well, I... That wasn’t very supportive of me, laughing at you.”

“It’s okay.” Oz said.

Was it his imagination, or was Aaravi closer? Oz could reach out and put his hand on her thigh, if he wanted to. Did he have any sauce on his fingers? Would it be okay, or totally creepy? Oz’s thoughts were interrupted by Aaravi getting to her feet.

“Maybe in a few years you can be a tough guy, action archaeologist, but for right now, let me do the fighting.” Aaravi said.

The two packed up their things and headed to the end of this floor. Oz stayed quiet, walking behind Aaravi and studying the ground. Why did he keep thinking about what Aaravi said? Worse, why was he so bothered by it? His masculinity was one of the few things he wasn’t insecure about, in fact he liked Aaravi protecting him, it made no sense that it bothered him. He tried to look at the situation from a different angle. The Slayer used jokes as a way of dealing with her own issues, so he should just try to shrug it off.

“I can’t remember which boss we’re going to fight.” Aaravi said. “I can’t remember the last time I was up here. I usually just use the warp gate to get to the lower floors.”

“We’ll be fine. You’ve already beaten the boss once, right?” Oz said.

When Oz had a hard time with his feelings, which was often, he would overcompensate in other areas. He didn’t know how to make himself feel better, so he might as well encourage his friend... Girlfriend...? What would they qualify as?

They reached a stairway which disappeared deeper into the earth. Oz touched his foot to the stone, and to his amazement found the step to be dry and solid. How embarrassing would that be to be an adventurer and die slipping on some stairs?

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Oz asked.

“Just keep doing what you’ve been doing. Maybe if the boss had a glowing red eye, you can shoot it with the crossbow.” Aaravi said. “It’s been nice adventuring with someone else.”

“Anytime.” Oz said.

The stairs ended with a large wooden door, fastened with worn metal that seemed to glow with a threatening aura. Instead of a door knob was a large steel ring which Aaravi grabbed.

“Are you ready?” She asked.

Oz nodded. 

With a groan, The Slayer opened the door. It stayed open, allowing the two adventurers to enter the massive room. This place was big, about the size of the cafeteria, and had a high ceiling. Torches of green fire illuminated stone walls giving the whole area an eerie glow. Black marks covered the walls. Blood? No, it didn’t look right.

Two clangs echoed off the walls as bars slammed over the doors, locking them in. Oz moved closer to Aaravi as she pulled a large mace out of her seemingly endless bag, her gaze drawn to the center of the room. A glowing red ball of fire had formed over the floor. Before Oz could ask if that was the boss, the fire expanded, turning into a portal. From the mouth of this new opened jumped a manticore, roughly the size of a bull. The beast roared, shaking the room.

“Damn it! I forgot about this boss.” Aaravi hissed. “Why did they make such a strong monster the boss for the first section of the dungeon?”

“B- but you fought this guy before.” Oz said.

“Yeah, but it sucked! This thing is resistant to blunt force trauma!” Aaravi said dropping her mace.

Knife out, Aaravi lunged at the manticore, slashing below its eye. It cried out, and The Slayer rolled out of the way as a blast of fire erupted from the creatures mouth, scorching the floor where she had been. That explains all the black stuff on the walls.

“Just stay back! I got this!” Aaravi called to Oz.

She came in from the side, slicing at the beast's flank. It turned to her, crouching down. Oz’s gaze focused on the manticore’s tail. The thing was long and ended in a barbed scorpion stinger. It twitched, a tell if Oz ever saw one. Aaravi also crouched down, holding her cloak over her face.

“Look out!” Oz called.

“It’s fire resistant!” She saw motioning to her cloak.

Time stood still.

Oz kicked off against the wall, launching himself forward. He could see Aaravi’s face, see her smirk waver in slow motion as she realized that the manticore was striking with its tail. The creature snarled, baring its dripping yellow teeth. The shadowman came to a stop, right between green eyed woman and the manticore.

He didn't see the strike, but he felt it. A dull jab right under his ribs, a little underwhelming honestly. Damien punched him harder than this, and those were just his way of saying hello. Oz’s knees buckled as a wave of pain shot through his body. He could feel it, how the tip of the stinger tore into him. The room was so hot and so blurry, sweat dripped down Oz’s face as he tried to focus on something that wasn’t the pain. It was so strong and pulsed in time with his heart beat. Was someone calling his name? They sounded so far away.

Oz opened his eyes, Aaravi was leaning over him. How did she get into his bedroom? He hadn’t even invited her to his place after the prom. Those green eyes of hers were so large, so full of worry, and they looked shiny? The dull pain in his abdomen gave his brain a jump start. The memories flooded back.

“Manicore?” Oz managed.

“I could beat it, thanks to my berserker trait, but seriously, don’t EVER do that again!” Aaravi said, her voice growing harsh.

“What?” Oz asked.

His vision was getting clearer, the room less bright and washed out. Aaravi gritted her teeth, looking away from him.

“You jumped in front of a striking manticore, and it filled you with poison.” She hissed.

His body hurt, but it was nothing compared to the pain from earlier. This was more akin to a small hang over than his body being flushed with venom. Realization dawned on him.

“Oh no. Did you have to get the wizard to help me?” Oz asked. “I’ll pay you back, I’m sorry.”

“What? No!” Aaravi said, gazing down at him. “I just used an antidote on you. You’re lucky the wound wasn’t worse. Maybe it has something to do with what kind of monster you are...”

Oz glanced down. There was a tear in his shirt that not even Vicky’s skills with a needle and thread could fix. Damn, he would need a new one for the school play. It was at this moment Oz realized that the very plush, yet firm pillow his head rested upon was actually Aaravi’s thighs. A blast of hormones and adrenaline bolted him upright, only for him to get hit with a head rush.

“Would you calm down, you need to rest.” Aaravi said, grabbing his shoulder, supporting him.

“I- I’m okay.” Oz groaned, but the room was still wobbling around him.

“Why?” Aaravi asked.

Oz’s vision stopped swimming enough that he could look at Aaravi. Her head bowed, silky lilac hair covered her face. Aaravi was so close to him.

Before Oz could speak, so continued. “Why did you jump in front of me?”

She lifted her head, and ache formed in Oz’s chest. Tears dripped down her freckled face and her lip was trembling. Never had he seen The Slayer like this.

“I- I just saw that the manticore was going to use it’s tail, and I... I didn’t think.” Oz said.

“Idiot! I have experience, defense, and armor! You were just wearing a costume. Don’t worry about me getting hurt! I'm here to protect YOU!” Aaravi cried.

“I want to protect you...” Oz managed.

For a second, Oz thought Aaravi was suplexing him as some sort of punishment. It was a hug. Aaravi had wrapped him up in a huge hug. Oz trembled, but realized that it was because he was so close to Aaravi, her sobs were shaking him.

“Don’t do anything stupid like that ever again!” She sobbed. “I don’t know what I’d do if you- If I- I'm so sorry about the dumb things I said!”

Oz held her, her hair brushing his face. Aaravi had a pleasant scent, like jasmine or vanilla, it was calming. Her small body was warm, even through all that armor. Even if he couldn’t fight, Oz still wanted to protect her and keep her safe.

In the present, Aaravi ran her hand up Oz’s chest, along his neck and to his face. They gazed at each other, faces barely illuminated by the light filtering through the curtains. A smile quirked Aaravi’s lips.

“Thank you.” She spoke.

“For what?” Oz asked.

“For being here.” She said, “We still have plenty of time before you work, right?”

“Yeah. I still need to take a shower, but we can keep snuggling.” Oz said.

Aaravi sat up, still smiling. Oz raised an eyebrow as he watched her.

“You want to get up?”

“Not quite. Well, maybe you’ll be up.” Aaravi teased.

Understanding filled the shadowman as his wife straddled him, wearing only an old band shirt as pajamas. Oz gazed up at her, placing a hand on her thigh, which was ever softer than he remembered. If they kept going, both of them would need a shower. That was fine with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I got this chapter out quickly, but I'm not sure when chapter four with be ready. I haven't even gotten it started. If you have any ideas involving these two, feel free to comment. Maybe I could write one involving a dream, where it's like AU or something. That could be fun. I might also take some time to work on other fics, since I do have a lot of ships and ideas.


	4. My Chinchilla

“What's that?” Oz asked.

Oz looked up from his book, and noticed his wife on the couch, holding something. A small item dangled from a cord she held above her head, some kind of pendant, if he had to guess. It was the size of a cherry and silver in color, that was all he could make out from his chair.

“Oh, this thing?” Aaravi said, and tossed it up in the air before catching in one fluid motion. “I spent all this morning looking for it.”

“You were out all morning?” Oz asked, getting out of his seat.

“I told you I was hanging out with Valerie.” Aaravi said.

“I thought it meant you were going to get some tea.” Oz said.

He sat down next to her, looking at her closed fist. The shadow man's brows furrowed. Was he being over protective again? He touched her shoulder.

“Sorry for sounding mean. What did you buy?” Oz asked.

“It's okay.” Aaravi said.

The adventurer opened her hand, revealing the small pendant on the palm of her hand. It was flat, like a coin, there was a relief of a creature on it. It was round, with big ears and a short tail. Oz recognized the animal.

“A chinchilla?” He said.

“In some places chinchillas are associated with good parenting.” Aaravi explained. “Chinchilla parents always take really good care of their babies.”

“So it's like a good luck charm?” Oz asked.

She dropped it onto his hand. “Can't you feel the magic? It's a lot stronger than just a lucky charm.”

This conversation was going over some rough waters, Oz realized. He needed to choose his words carefully, let her know he thought things would be okay, but not make her feel bad for worrying. Oz was used to being the person who people had to be careful around. Oz held the charm closer to his face, two of his phobias gathering around and admiring this new shiny object.

“You're going to be a good mother.” He said, kissing her forehead.

Oz then placed the charm around Aaravi's neck, working carefully around her ears. The fearling understood anxiety, worrying about every little thing. If a charm helped soothe his wife's troubled mind, then he wouldn't take that from her. Sometimes all you needed was a security blanket.

“And you'll be a great dad.” Aaravi said, her fingers brushing against the charm. “How does it look?”

“It suits you.” Oz said, one of his phobias gave her a thumbs up.

~~~

Later that night the two got ready for bed. Oz just got settled into bed when his wife entered. She was wearing her worn band t-shirt and smelled vaguely of mint as she slid into bed. Oz's gaze went to her chest as she fumbled with the light switch.

“You're still wearing the pendant.” Oz said.

“So?” She asked.

“Aren't you worried it's going to get tangled in your sleep?” Oz said.

“I'll be fine. I've worn necklaces to sleep before.” She said, turning off the light.

Oz was quiet as Aaravi laid down. Was he being silly? He had a bad feeling. Not a catastrophic one, but just a little one. Like the kind he got before a pop quiz, or the store was out of his favorite brand of macaroni. Oz settled down, snuggling against Aaravi. Maybe he was just being silly.

It had been a good sleep. There wasn't too much tossing and turning, no night terrors, and he didn't even feel too hot or too cold, the perfect temperature. It's a shame this was a weekend and not before a long day of work. Oh well, he'd just have to be productive at home. His arm hadn't even fallen asleep, which it usually was, due to how Aaravi would sleep on it.

Slowly opening his eyes, Oz patted the bed, looking for his wife. His eyes widened when he couldn't feel her, until he pulled back the blankets, revealing a lump over him. Oz's vision wobbled, both because he was having trouble understanding what he was seeing, and partly because of a head rush from sitting up way too fast. Curled up on his stomach was a periwinkle chinchilla. Well, it had been on his stomach, but it fell onto the blankets on his lap as he sat up. The little creature glared up at him with green eyes, it's large ears pressed against it's fluffy head.

Oz was no chinchilla expert, but he knew this was an unusual chinchilla. He was also used to living in Monsteropolis for the past few decades, and the shenanigans that entailed.

“Aaravi?” Oz whispered.

The chinchilla did not move, save for her eyes which lifted up slightly. Oz could recognize his wife's eyes, and he was pretty sure that shade of purple wasn't a normal color for chinchillas.

“Did the pendant turn you into a chinchilla? I told you it was a bad idea to wear it to bed.” Oz said, reaching up to touch Aaravi.

His fingers brushed her fur, which was so soft. It was so soft he forgot what he had been doing, then went to touch her neck, but there was no way he could have anticipated her reaction. The little chinchilla lifted it's head, closing their eyes in bliss as the shadow man's fingers stroked their chin.

“Awww. You like that?” Oz said. “Wait?”

He continued to pet the chinchilla's chin, but he realized he could not find the pendant. Oz looked over the bed, then placed the chinchilla that was his wife on the pillow as he looked under the blankets. It probably fell off, since she's so small. Aaravi watched him as Oz removed all the blankets and sheets, giving them a shake and tossing them onto the floor, but no dice.

“Where did it go, Vee?” Oz asked, hand on his head.

The chinchilla said nothing, in fact she fell asleep on the pillow.

Oz tried to calm himself down, think about how this wasn't as bad at it could be. Chinchillas were cute. It's better she was a cute, but manageable sized creature rather than something like a tiger or a slug. It was the weekend, which meant Oz could focus all his time on this without having to worry about work or calling in. He also had a few friends who he knew he could call to ask about things like this.

Oz got his cell phone, and sat down next to Aaravi, scrolling down until he found the right number. He pressed the button and the phone rang.

“Hello? Oz?” Came a voice.

“Vicky?” Oz said.

“Hey! Just calling to say hello?” She asked.

That was when realization dawned on Oz. Normally, the color crew met up every Saturday, to have breakfast/lunch and just catch up with each other. However this week, Vicky was out with her wife and boyfriend Scott. They were in Paris showing off Vicky's latest fashion line. Shoot, there was no way Oz could burden Vera like this.

“Yeah. How's France?” Oz asked.

“It's so cool! We're staying at this super nice hotel, Scott ate SO much steak.” Vicky said.

“Nice. Did the fashion show go well?” Oz asked.

“Yeah. Vera had to leave half way through though, but she did wait until after they showed off my winter line.” Vicky said.

“She's still doing her other jobs?” Oz said.

“That's what I thought, but when I got back to the hotel room, it was filled with flowers, and Vera was waiting for us with a bottle of wine and cupcakes. I told her I really like cupcakes, and she got me the best ones she could find.” Vicky said, voice rising.

“That's so nice.” Oz said, genuinely happy for her.

“Isn't it? But I gotta go. Me and Scott and going to put the giant shower to good use!” Oz could hear Vicky's grin over the phone.

“Geez, TMI Vicky.” Oz said, playfully rolling his eyes.

“See you next Saturday!” Vicky said.

“Good bye.” Oz said, hanging up the phone.

He couldn't soak in his positive feelings for Vicky, he had to find someone who could help his wife. Did he still have the number? Yes! His crush on Joy paid off! Hitting the button, Oz waited on the line, only to be brought to voicemail.

“You've reached The Coven. Your call is important to us, but we are very busy saving the world. Please leave your message and number and we will get back to you. If you are looking for Hope's Delivery Service, or Faith's Cat Cafe and Sanctuary, the numbers are as follow-”

Oz sighed, but left his name and number anyways. After high school, the Coven exploded in popularity and in demand. They were no longer losers, but beloved heroines and altruists. It made it awfully hard to get in touch with them.

Vera and the Coven seemed to be the most promising people when it came to fixing magical spells. Brian and Miranda wouldn't know too much about magic, and getting help from her family wouldn't be worth the hassle. Amira was a djinn, but she gave up her wish granting powers long ago for her freedom, and Calculester and Polly probably wouldn't know a lot about magic either. He could hire a wizard, but they were expensive, and typically didn't work on weekends. There was one last person he could call, but it wouldn't be about magic.

“Hey, D-” Oz began.

“Who the fuck calls someone at nine in the morning!” Yup, he had the right number.

“I just wanted to ask a question. If I were to say... Have to babysit a chinchilla spur of the moment, with no supplies-” Oz said, trying to speak fast enough Damien wouldn't interrupt him, but it didn't work.

“I'll be right over!” Damien cried, then ended the call with enough force Oz swore he could hear his screen crack.

“I hope I didn't do something wrong.” Oz said.

Digging through his closet, Oz located a shoe box. That would do for now. He placed Aaravi inside, and carried her into the kitchen. It amazed him how light she was now, almost like he was carrying an empty shoe box.

“I'm going to make some breakfast, so don't jump off the table or anything.” Oz said, leaning in close to the chinchilla.

How intelligent was Aaravi in this form anyways? She just glared at him. To be fair, it was a very Aaravi glare and what she would do if he told her to stay in one place. Still, it was hard to gauge how 'there' she was. She wasn't acting like a scared animal, running all over the place and biting him, but she wasn't trying to communicate with him. …. Aaravi was always kind of bad at communicating though.

Keeping an eye on Aaravi, Oz made himself some breakfast, coffee and some toast. The chinchilla hardly moved, just going onto her hind legs to watch Oz as he buttered his toast, then came to sit at the table.

“I should have asked Damien to bring some chinchilla food.” Oz said, taking a bite of his toast.

Right next to him, the door burst open, spinsters and dust flying everywhere. The dust settled, revealing the spicy red baby, holding a large box with various supplies under his arm. Oz lowered his arm, and Aaravi shook herself to get the dust off.

“Where is the- Fuck! They didn't even give you a cage?” Damien said. “I should have brought Missy's travel one.”

“It's a long story but-” Oz started, but once again was cut off.

“Just give me a name!” Damien growled.

“Wha-?” Oz stammered.

Back in high school, Oz saw Damien as a pretty scary person. All the anger, shouting, fire and stabbing. Thankfully the prince of hell had matured, finding different outlets for his anger and finding emotional maturity. Now he just used pwning noobs at video games as a way to vent... And maiming animal abusers.

“The bastard who abandoned them!” Damien hissed, holding up Aaravi.

“Actually... That's just Aaravi.” Oz said.

Damien started Oz, then to the periwinkle chinchilla in his hand. He placed her back down in the shoe box, and gently sat down his box of supplies. There was a bag of hey, some toys, a plastic house about the size of a shoe box and various other items.

“So, no animal neglect?” Damien asked.

Oz shook his head. “Just magical shenanigans.”

Damien's brow furrowed. He looked confused, but in a 'reprocessing feelings way'. Oz was about to take another sip of his coffee, but noticed a chunk of door frame floating in his mug.

“Would you like some coffee? Maybe some toast?” Oz asked.

“Yeah, that'd be cool.” Damien said.

“Mainly I just wanted to ask you a few questions.” Oz said, going to the cabinet and taking out two coffee mugs. “Like what do chinchillas eat, anything to avoid doing, and I know there's something about dust?”

“Chinchillas can't get wet. Their fur is too thick, so it won't dry properly and it'll start to form mold.” Damien explained.

Oz cringed at the thought, and jotted down that mental note. He must keep water away from Aaravi at all costs. Oz gave Damien his mug of coffee.

“Need cream or sugar?” Oz asked.

“No thanks. But the fur is actually useful, since it's so thick that any sort of parasites are smothered in it.” Damien said, grinning. “These fluff balls are so metal.”

It was endearing, hearing Damien talk about chinchillas, and with such enthusiasm. Oz took a sip of his coffee, and let out a long, calming breath. He used to be pretty scared of Damien back in high school, but it was in kind of an excited way. Like riding a roller coaster or watching a scary movie. Oz couldn't help but realize that Damien was kind of similar to Aaravi, and look where they ended up.

The two went into the spare room, putting things away, making sure there were no cords, padding the corners with cardboard boxes, and generally making sure there was nothing a chinchilla could destroy or hurt itself on. Aaravi watched them from the middle of the room, still sitting in her shoe box. Oz scooted closer to her, moving slowly as not to spook the chinchilla.

“How are you doing?” Oz whispered. “You still in there, Vee?”

“This should be okay for now.” Damien said, looking up from the puppy pads he'd laid down in the corner. “If this was a regular chinchilla I would just take her with me and keep her in Missy's spare cage, but she seems smarter than that.”

“I understand. Thanks for helping.” Oz said.

“Now I can finally say you're smart.” Damien teased, reaching out to pet Aaravi.

Aaravi made a noise that sounded like a “MEH!” and jumped out of the shoe box. Damien put a hand on Oz's shoulder before he could scoop her up.

“Let her run around a bit. She's been sitting in that box all morning.” Damien said.

“Okay.” Oz said, resting his back against the wall.

“Aaravi's pregnant, right? I thought that was what Val said.” Damien asked.

“Y- Yeah. Do you think she'll be okay?” Oz asked.

Damien's fist clenched, before easing, and there was a strange look in the demon's eyes. Had he said something wrong? This wasn't normal for Damien, and it worried Oz's more than bursting open his door had. He needed to fix that today too, better add another mental note.

“I mean, as a chinchilla.” Oz said.

“I mean, she’s jumping around like corn in an exploding popcorn factory, she seems fine.” Damien said. “From what you've told me, this charm sounds like it was made to help pregnant people.”

Oz touched his chin, brows furrowed in thought. “So this is like... Some sort of way for a pregnant person to relax while being safe?”

“How the hell should I know?” Damien groaned, waving his hand.

Damien rested his back against the wall, giving a sigh. He still had that look in his eyes. Oz thought, trying to think of something to say to get rid of this uncomfortable silence.

“How is Valerie doing?” Oz asked.

Shoot, Aaravi had bought the charm with Valerie. Maybe the cat woman would know a thing or two about it. Maybe? She didn't know much about the stuff she was selling back in high school, so how was she supposed to be an expert about the stuff other people sold?

“Something happened. Between us.” Damien said, gazing off into the distance.

Oz was silent and patient, ready for Damien to tell him more once he felt comfortable. This was time for affirmative, positive male interactions!

“We went to a concert together, and went back to her place. We were both a little out of it, but we'd both fucked before, so that wasn't the problem. I forgot to use a condom...”

“Oh...” Oz said, voice soft.

“That's not it. She took a morning after pill, once we realized what happened, but it got me thinking. Her mom died... And my dad risked a lot having me.” Damien said. “We talked about it, about the future and kids and stuff. She says she isn't interested now, and if she does she wants to adopt.”

“It's you both talked about it.” Oz said.

“I kind of do want kids.” Damien confessed. “But I don't want to make her unhappy.”

“You both still have a lot of time to think about that.” Oz said. “And adopting sounds good too.”

“Did you two talk about having kids?” Damien asked.

Oz blushed. “It was a little spur of the moment...”

Oz yelped as Aaravi jumped into his lap. She climbed onto his knee and perched there, gazing at him with those big green eyes.

“She really is cuter this way.” Damien said.

Aaravi gave another 'Meh!', and jumped down, running another lap around the room.

“I'm going to try calling the Coven again. They've gotten so busy lately.” Oz said.

“Yeah. Hope doesn't even do her own deliveries anymore.” Damien said.

“Dude, are you still into her?” Oz asked incredulously.

“N- No! I just think she's cool! Are you still into Joy?” Damien said, punching Oz's shoulder.

“I mean she's super pretty but there's a lot of pretty girls. Namely, my wife.” Oz said, motioning to the chinchilla.

“Yeah whatever. I should actually get going.” Damien said, standing up.

“Thanks for your help.” Oz said.

“I'll bring Missy's travel cage over tomorrow, if you haven't figured out a way to turn her back. If she's stuck this way, you should get her a real cage.” Damien said.

“Yeah. Maybe you could help me choose a good one.” Oz said, also getting to his feet. Hey, he didn't feel comfortable being at face level with genitals that could be tools of murder.

“Fuck, we should just hang out some time. Maybe get a drink or something.” Damien said.

Oz hesitated, and not because he found the demon prince scary.

“Is it because of Aaravi? She's not your boss, and anyways, she hangs out with Val. We could make it a double date.” Damien said.

“That could be fun.” Oz said. “I just hope she doesn't still have... A thing for you...”

“That was like ten years ago.” Damien said. “Anyways, she married you, didn't she? You cook well enough to make Gorgon Ramsey sob tears of joy and you're a good listener. Don't get down on yourself.”

Damien punctuated this with another slap to Oz's shoulder.

“Thanks. I still wish I could be as confident as you.” Oz said.

“Eh, does it count as confidence? Nah, I've had enough serious talk for one day.” Damien said. “Hey, why not just visit for a haircut?”

Damien always knew his way around a pair of scissors. Hell, before graduation he even gave Amira a rad new hair style. Hey, the only thing Damien knows better than hair is fire.

“I might take you up on that offer.” Oz said, running a hand through his bangs.

~~~

Oz said good bye to Damien, realizing that his door was still busted. This sort of thing happened a lot, so he had to break out the handy door frame fixing kit that every apartment was required by law to have. What would this world come to if people couldn't bust open doors?

After checking in on Aaravi, Oz called the Coven again. No luck, he just got their prerecorded message, even after trying for nearly two hours. He did his best to keep himself busy, while checking in on Aaravi. After dinner, he decided that he should give Aaravi a change of scenery.

The sun room was Oz's favorite room in the apartment, ironically he enjoyed it best after the sun went down. Oz looked out the window as Aaravi zipped around the room, admiring the cloudy sky. He spent a good ten minutes making sure the sun room was chinchilla safe, even going as far as to move the coffee table and chairs and vacuum under them.

Aaravi climbed onto Oz's lap, and the fearling slowly lifted his hand. Holding his breath, Oz touched the soft fur of the chinchilla. Gosh, it was soooo soft. Oz let his breath out in one long cleansing breath, like Norah had shown him. Aaravi snuggled into his lap letting him pet her ever more. The moon broke from behind the clouds bathing the room in silver moonlight, and Oz felt like things were going to be okay.

He closed his eyes, just petting Aaravi. He would figure this out, they'd gone through worse than this. Oz continued to run his fingers over Aaravi until... Something felt different. Less soft and more silky. Oz opened his eyes, and just started. On his lap, his wife was resting her head, her green eyes closed, her face peaceful.

“Aaravi...” Oz began, but then realized something more pressing. “You're naked!”

Aaravi bolted upright and Oz pulled off his cardigan, placing it over his wife's bare shoulders before drawing the curtains clothes. The world outside the apartment seemed quiet, but he didn't want anyone complaining about public indecency.

“Did I take some drugs?” Aaravi asked.

“You don't remember what happened?” Oz asked.

“It's kind of blurry. Like I was completely sloshed, or like I got a massive perception debuff.” Aaravi said.

“You turned into a chinchilla.” Oz said.

Aaravi opened her mouth, froze, then closed her mouth. “So that's why I really wanted some raisins.”

“I think it was that charm.” Oz said, motioning to her chest. “Please promise me you wont sleep in it tonight.”

“Fine. Wait, that means Damien was here?” Aaravi said, face turning pink.

“Y- Yeah, I needed someone who knew about chinchillas.” Oz said.

Aaravi had pulled her knees to her chest, and was covering her face with her hands. Oz knelt down next to her, hand on her shoulder.

“I probably made an ass of myself... Again!” Aaravi said.

“It's okay. I think he liked seeing you again actually.” Oz said.

She peeked up at him. “But I was such an asshole in high school.”

“He's over it.” Oz said, waving his hand. “He said he wants to do a double date sometime, since you're friends with Valerie.”

“... That could be cool. Maybe after all this baby stuff is over, and we have a baby sitter.” Aaravi said.

Oz removed the pendant from around Aaravi's neck, careful of her hair and ears. He looked over the pendant, finding it strangely warm against the palm of his hands. How had it turned Aaravi into a chinchilla? Heck, how had it turned her back?

“Next time you buy a charm, maybe you could see if it has instructions.” Oz said.

“Why don't you try wearing it?” Aaravi asked, smirking.

“W- what? Why?” Oz stammered.

“I think you'd be a cute chinchilla.” Aaravi said.

It might be fun to be a chinchilla, just for a day or two. Oz looked out the window, this one was higher and smaller, so he didn't bother pulling the curtains over it.

“No.” Oz said, shaking his head, then pulling Aaravi closer. “I have to take care of you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this chapter! It was fun and near to my heart, I just love chinchillas. Also, I made up the thing about "in come cultures chinchillas are associated with good parenting". It was also fun adding Damien to the story, though he was a little hard to write.


	5. Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oz and Aaravi visit Brian and Miranda for dinner.

The Color squad used to be inseparable. Sure, Brian and Vicky met when they were about ten, and Oz and Amira met in the fourth grade, the group formed during the first year of Spooky Middle school. After a series of shenanigans involving a dodge ball game, a model volcano, and several jell-o cups the four became fast friends. They went into high school together, moved in together, supported each other during the ordeal known as 'Monster Prom', and generally were the best of friends. Sadly, high school was over.

Life happened, and it happened hard. Everyone got jobs, married, went to college, or any combination thereof. The four tried to meet up every Saturday, going to a movie, restaurant or even an anime convention, but that was getting harder and harder. Thank god for the internet and cell phones, as it meant they could still stay in contact.

It was after work, one day, when Oz got a call on his phone while he was reading a book. The caller ID read 'Green', one of the few people he would interrupt his reading time for.

“Hey Brian.” Oz said.

“How you doing?”

Oz smiled at the sound of his friend's voice. “I'm doing good.”

“You got the news from Vicky?” Brian said.

“That she has another fashion show. Yeah. So it's just going to be you me and Amira Saturday?”

“Actually, Amira has to study for a test.” Brian said.

Oz couldn't help but feel disappointed. He'd found an Ethiopian restaurant he really wanted to try. Maybe Aaravi would be up for it?

“So I guess we won't be getting together for Saturday?” Oz said.

“Actually, that's why I called.” Brian said, causing Oz to lift an eyebrow. “Why don't you two come over for dinner?”

“You want us to come over? Your house is so big and fancy.” Oz said.

The last time he visited Brian was at the housewarming party. Oz nearly got lost on his way to the bathroom, it had been scary.

“Exactly.” Brian said.

“Alright. Can we use one of your small dining rooms, please?” Oz said.

“Yeah, I know you aren't a fan of open spaces.” Brian said. “Miranda even said we can have one of our drivers pick you up, so don't worry about taking a bus or a cab.”

“That's really nice of you guys, are you sure it's okay?” Oz said.

“Yeah, I miss hanging out, and this was Miranda's idea.” Brian said.

“Yeah but... I know you and Aaravi never got along well...” Oz trailed off.

“Oz, that was a long time ago.” Brian said.

“I guess you're right. She even made up with Damien.”

The phone line was quiet for a second. “Damn. Really?”

“Yeah.” Oz nodded.

“Dang. Well, I'll see you Saturday.”

“Have a good night.” Oz said.

The fearling hung up the phone feeling quite good about the future. That was until he realized that he would need to tell his wife what the plans were. Would she be interested? Had she gotten over her bad blood with Brian? Maybe he should just call the whole thing off? Oz shook his head. No. We wanted to see Brian, and he was even curious about Miranda.

“You don't have any plans for Saturday, right?” Oz asked.

The two were in the bedroom, getting ready for bed. Oz was putting on his pajamas while Aaravi was doing some stretches at the foot of the bed. Even under her baggy and worn t-shirt, her belly was visible. It would be only a month now.

“Did your friends cancel on you again?” Aaravi said, looking up at him.

“Well, a little but Brian and Miranda invited us to dinner on Saturday.” Oz explained, buttoning the front of his shirt.

“Me and Val were talking about maybe seeing a movie, but I like your idea more.” Aaravi said.

She got to her feet, doing another stretch as she yawned.

“D- Don't abandon Val because of me.” Oz stammered.

“It's fine. We were just talking. They still live in that big castle, right?” Aaravi said.

“Yeah.”

Aaravi settled down on the bed. “It sounds cool. It'll give you a break from cooking.”

“But I like cooking for you.” Oz said, joining her in bed.

The following Saturday, the two were picked up outside of their apartment in a gold plated carriage which was pulled by at least a dozen aquatic horses. Oz felt himself go pale when he saw how lavish the interior was. The floor had a beautiful carpet, nicer than any in his house, and everything was done in mother-of-pearl with gold trim, hell, there was even a mini bar with crystal champagne flutes. Oz took off his shoes and Aaravi flopped into her seat, giving a delighted groan.

“This is soooo comfy!” The green eyed woman sighed.

Oz sat down next to her, and he had to admit, she was right. He felt like he was resting his butt on a cloud made from comfort and good dreams.

“May I offer you a drink, sir and madame?” Asked the fish man seated next to the minibar.

“Vodka on the rocks!” Aaravi said, hand shooting up.

“We'll both have an ice water.” Oz said, lowering Aaravi's hand.

“Can I at least have a sparkling water?” Aaravi whined.

The carriage arrived at the palace, which was half above water and half in the water. The whole time, Oz was pressed against the window, taking in the sight of the palace. It looked like it belonged in the Magic Kingdom, for god's sake, with spiraling towers that glittered in the light of the setting sun. The carriage came to a stop in an entrance on the land based side of the castle.

“Please follow me, sir and madame.” Said another uniformed fish man who looked nearly identical to the one at the minibar.

Oz helped Aaravi to her feet, and they were led inside the castle. They needed to take several breaks as they headed down the nearly endless hallway, which were easy to do, since there were little sitting rooms they could stop at.

“And here we are.” Said the serf who was leading them as he opened up a large door at the end of the hallway. “Master Wu, yours guests have arrived.”

The door revealed Brian, who was slumped on one of the couches, his expensive looking green dress shirt creased and wrinkled. On the arm rest was a black suit jacket, it looked like something you'd see on a movie star, or a secret service worker. Oz glanced down at himself and Aaravi. He was wearing a black suit (not the one he wore to prom), and Aaravi was in a rather nice red sweater with brown pants. Were they under dressed? At least Aaravi was wearing her formal leather.

“Hey... Bri... Wakey wakey, eggs and... Whatever it is rich people eat.” Oz said gently as he crept closer to his friend.

The zombie sat up, groaning softly. Oz had plenty of experience waking Brian up back when they lived together. The dead man just needed a moment of two to get his bearings, and it helped when he wasn't startled awake. Realization dawned on Brian, and he got to his feet.

“Oz! How was the ride up?” Brian said.

“Unbelievable.” Oz answered.

“Comfy.” Aaravi said.

“Aaravi.” Brian said, giving her a nod. “Doing okay?”

Aaravi gave him a nod in response. “Yeah.”

“That's one hell of a hallway you have to walk down.” Oz said.

“You get used to it. Well, let's head to the dining room. Miranda said I should wait for you two while she supervises the dinner.” Brian said, putting his coat on.

Oz tried to hide his wince, walking more was the last thing he wanted to do and that went double for Aaravi. Thankfully, Brian only led them another twenty feet to the dinning hall. Now, when Brian told him they would be eating in the 'small' dining room, Oz expected something small, personal. He was not expecting a banquet hall with a table the size of three buffet tables put together.

Miranda was standing nearby, several serfs were setting the table and one standing next to a chest filled with silverware. The years did nothing to diminish the princess's beauty, in fact, she looked even prettier than she did back in high school. The fearling almost wanted to nudge his best friend and say something like 'nice catch, buddy', but that was so far from Oz's style it might as well have been gibberish.

Miranda looked up from her instructions, her eyes sparking as she spotted them. “- Now for the bread tongs, and the salad fork- Oh Our guests have arrived! Welcome to our home!”

“Hey Miri, I was going to bring a barrel of ale, but Oz said not to.” Aaravi said.

The mermaid closed the gap between her and the group. She held her hand out for Oz, who awkwardly brought it to his face as if placing a kiss on her delicate knuckles. Aaravi gave a small half bow, half curtsy.

“Oh please, there's no need to be so formal. This is just a small gathering of friends.” Miranda said. “There's no need for gifts, though I still treasure the collection of spoons you two brought for our castle warming party.”

“I'm glad.” Oz said.

Miranda then turned to Brian. She ran her delicate fingers along his chest, over the creases in his shirt.

“Are the laundry serfs slacking?” She asked.

Brian shook his head. “I fell asleep.”

“Oh good. I know how much you dislike it when I punish serfs. While you were gone, a serf dropped a crystal goblet, and I only sentenced him to an hour in the dungeon.” Miranda said.

“Well that's good.” Brian said. “And I'm here now, so don't be sad.”

“But I feel so much happier when you are with me! Like I could take on the world with you as my second in command!” Miranda said.

“You know you're always my queen.” Brian said, bringing his wife in for a hug.

The mermaid princess snuggled against Brian's wide chest, her hair fluttering around her shoulders. It was pretty cute, Oz had to admit. ...Famous last words?

“Oh my champion!” Miranda cried.

“My god, you're adorable when you take charge.” Brian said, running a hand through her hair.

Oz averted his gaze. He too understood needing a moment with one's lover, and hopefully it would just be a moment. He studied the high ceilings with the intricately carved beams. The craftsmanship was quite impressive, was he the only one to ever study this aspect of the rooms architecture? Were those kissing sounds? Oh god, better study the ceiling more.

A cough echoed through the room, the Slayer holding a fist to her mouth. Miranda and Brian finally parted, thought the princess took a moment to straighten his tie.

“Please, sit down. I will have the serfs bring you drinks.” Miranda said.

Oz pulled out a chair for Aaravi before he took a seat. His wife seemed distracted, and he realized why. This room was large, had a high ceiling, was part of a labyrinth and was filled with treasure. Aaravi's adventurer instinct was probably going into overdrive, and it was making her nuts about not being able to loot. Or maybe she was worried there was a boss fight nearby.

As soon as everyone sat down, serfs came, each one with a different drank. Once more, Oz had to keep the wine, beer, mead, and vodka serfs from his wife, but they both settled on sparkling cranberry juice.

“Thank you for having us.” Oz said. “I can't believe this is your small dining room. It's so big.”

“This is nothing. Our banquet hall requires a small locomotive engine in order for guests to get from one side to another.” Miranda said. “At least I was able to send out the good carriage. The one for diplomats and dignitaries.”

Oz's eyes bugged out. No wonder it was so fancy. Oh god, why couldn't he have taken his shoes off?

“The seats are nice. I wish we had some as our sofa.” Aaravi said.

“I told you it would bother Oz.” Brian said.

“But thank you for letting me send it out anyway.” Miranda said, her hand going to his.

“I love making you happy, princess.” He replied, enveloping her tiny hand in his.

Aaravi gave another cough, and Brian pulled away while Miranda blushed.

“S- Sorry. It's just yesterday we had Brian's friend Kale over for brunch.” Miranda said.

Oz nodded, recalling the reclusive dryad. For the longest time, Oz thought he was made up, or came to school once, and transferred without anyone else knowing. It was good to know that he was still friends with Brian... Especially after Amira's extremely awkward attempts at seducing him.

“PDA's make him uncomfortable, so I said we should sit apart.” Brian explained.

“It was so harrowing!” Miranda said, tossing her head back. “But we survived!”

“Of course we did, darling.” Brian said.

His large hand was on her shoulder, gently cupping it so she wouldn't fall out of her seat. It was kind of cute, but also very cheesy. If Liam were here, he'd be sneering at how saccharine this was, along with the gender norms at play. Oz couldn't help but giggle, which turned into a full blown laugh.

“S- Sorry! It's just kind of funny, seeing big, stoic, kinda scary Brian be so lovey dovey.” Oz said, covering the space where his mouth would be as he chuckled.

“Oh yes, you were quite intimidating back in high school.” Miranda said, settling back in her chair.

“I wouldn't say intimidating.” Brian said, looking away, absently scratching near the gash on his head.

“But that was what drew me to you.” Miranda said. “You are large, muscular, and your scars remind me of my favorite body guards. Not to mention how you helped me take care of the water polo team. Aaravi?”

The green eyed woman looked up from the plate of appetizers she was amassing and froze. Her eyes were wide, like a kid who was caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

“...Do I need to put some back?” Aaravi asked.

“Oh no, take as many as you'd like. I was simply going to ask what attracted you to Oz? Since we are on the topic of marrying out high school sweethearts.” Miranda said.

At this offer, Aaravi shoved several of the horderves into her mouth, then washed it down with her glass of juice, which was quickly refilled.

“What attracted me to Oz...” Aaravi said, finger to her chin.

“Y- You don't have to say anything-” Oz began.

“Well, he's cute, I kinda prefer my partners to be on the slim side.” Aaravi said. “He's also nice, and have you seen his magic stats?”

“Hmmm, I don't believe I have ever seen Oz's magic stats.” Miranda thought.

“You also can't get rid of the guy. He wouldn't leave me alone no matter how bad my mood was-” Aaravi said, but quickly went quiet.

Across the table, Brian was drinking his wine. Had Oz missed something?

“So, Bri, still playing sports?” Oz asked.

“A little, Miranda's serfs will play, but they're not super into it. But when Vicky comes over, Scott usually comes with her.” Brian said, putting some more appetizers onto his plate.

“It's quite fun to watch, though I'm not sure if I would want him to play professionally.” Miranda said.

“You don't want to see him hurt? I understand that.” Oz said. “I felt the same way when Aaravi was out adventuring.”

“Ugh, don't remind me. It's hard enough staying in with this little guy.” Aaravi said.

“Oh yes! Your baby!” Miranda said, eyes shining.

“When are you due?” Brian asked.

“At the end of next month.” Oz said, but silently added 'assuming nothing goes wrong'.

“Why haven't we had a baby yet?” Miranda asked, turning to Brian. “Can we try for one tonight?”

“Sure.” Brian said, giving Miranda a tiny smirk.

“Vacations!” Oz blurted out, his brain racing for the next topic of conversation to get off this one. “Go on any cool vacations recently?”

“Oh yes, we did go on a very nice one in Greece this summer.” Miranda said. “I got to catch up with some of my siren cousins, and swim in the Mediterranean sea.”

As she spoke, the serfs came to take the empty appetizer plates while others brought in the soup. After she started dating Brian, Miranda decided to give eating a try since she enjoyed watching him do it so much. He'd also said it was too sad for someone with so much access to rare and interesting foods not to eat. She'd been hesitant at first, but got really into it. Surprisingly, the princess barely gained any weight since high school. Damned royal metabolisms.

“Sounds nice. Lots of beaches I'd imagine.” Oz said.

“It was pretty cool.” Brian agreed.

Oz tasted the soup. It was some sort of butternut squash soup, rich and buttery. The seasoning was amazing and the way it lingered heavy on his tongue, he knew they used real cream. There was also a length of crusty, fresh baked bread along with it. Dipping the bread in the soup was almost too much!

“We haven't gone on too many vacations, unless you count going to that out of town dungeon.” Aaravi said.

Ah, the dungeon of Dionysus, but they weren't about to go into detail about that adventure. They just got off of TMI topics.

“We did go camping last summer.” Aaravi said.

Brian gave a half snort, half laugh. “I can't believe you would want to go camping after the senior trip.”

Oz looked up from his soup. The culinary bliss he was feeling gave way to dread. Crap, the senior class trip was the last thing he'd wanted to bring up! A serf took his empty soup bowl, and left a salad in its place. The fearling was so worried, he couldn't even take in this beautiful autumn salad.

“I haven't forgotten.” Aaravi said, spearing a cherry tomato with her fork. “Without me, you'd be even more dead.”

“Whatever you say.” Brian said, taking a sip of his wine. 

Miranda looked from Brian to Aaravi, then to Oz. She looked surprisingly calm.

“So what do you think of the food, Oz?” Miranda asked. “Brian says you are quite the chef. Perhaps we should have taken you in as a cooking serf.”

“Chef, Miranda. They're chefs. We pay them.” Brian said.

Oz took a moment to sample a forkful of salad, since it seemed the storm had passed. It was a nice salad, with spinach instead of iceberg lettuce, which he appreciated. The dressing was a vinaigrette, it had a hint of strawberry and maybe pomegranate?

“It's on a whole other level.” Oz said.

“I miss your cooking, dude.” Brian said.

“But you get to eat this all the time. It's like having a five star restaurant in your house. It's the foodies' dream.” Oz said.

“Actually, this was prepared by a seven star chef. They come from a secret and illusive order, which my father hunted down as a wedding gift for me and Brian.” Miranda said.

“Yes... But I gave him his freedom... And a job.” Brian said. “Still, I miss when you would try a new recipe, and you'd be cooking all day.”

Oz blushed. “But I made so many flops. The first dozen times everything would either be too burnt, raw, wriggling or just flavorless.”

“I kind of enjoyed it, watching you improve.” Brian said.

As they spoke the serfs took the salad plates, replacing them with the meat course. It was lamb chops, the flanks elegantly stacked together with a side of mashed potatoes and a reduction sauce.

“I know Amira hated it. Like that time I was helping Vicky learn how to make quinoa quiches to impress Vera.” Oz said.

“I actually really miss that mango curry you made. Yesterday I had a massive craving for it.” Brian said.

“That mango curry that I like?” Aaravi said.

The blush returned to Oz's face. “Y- Yeah. One time I made you a lunch with mango slices in it, and you said you really like it in curry.”

“The place that served the best stuff shut down around that time.” Aaravi said, realization dawned on her face. “All the other places sucked.”

“They didn't take into account the seasons you needed. I think they just used the yellow curry sauce and called it a day, since no one else ordered it.” Oz said, taking a bite of his food.

By the time dessert came around, Oz was stuffed which was a shame, since it was basically a dessert buffet. He managed to eat just two cannoli before he had to call it quits. Miranda too was only able to eat one strawberry shortcake before quietly pushing her dish aside. Brian and Aaravi, however, were well into their fourth serving, dishes surrounding them.

“This stuff is really good, but I think I like eating Oz's food more.” Aaravi said.

“Are you sure you don't want a job in our kitchen, Oz?” Miranda said.

“I like the library, but, maybe I could cook you dinner? If the other chefs are okay with that.” Oz said.

What sort of cool toys did a royal kitchen have? Maybe someday he'd get to see.

After dinner, Oz and Aaravi were led into another room, and thankfully this one was reachable by elevator. There was no way Oz could walk across the castle, not until his stomach settled a little.

“This is our personal parlor!” Miranda declared as two serfs opened the doors.

This room was large, not vast like the dining hall, but big enough that it was a library, theater and game room all rolled into one and unified by the French rococo decor. Hell, the projector and chairs were nicer than some of the theaters he'd been to, and there was even a soda fountain and popcorn machine.

“Oh my god! Those gaming PCs!” Aaravi cried.

There were two mahogany desks, both topped with state of the art gaming pcs. The chairs weren't the typical gamer stations, but high class leather office chairs. This room was both extremely geeky, and refined.

“This is where we game together.” Miranda explained. “Our current favorite is Imperial Eons.”

“We always play cooperatively.” Brian said.

“She always beats you?” Oz asked.

“Every time. My princess is brutal.”

“I've had the privilege of going with daddy to many of his war room meetings.” Miranda said.

Oz went deeper into the room, looking over their library of books, movies and games. He almost felt a little jealous. Brian needed to invite him over more. Sure, there would be a lot of walking involved, but it'd be worth it.

Oz stopped in front of two portraits, which took up half of one wall. One was on Miranda's family, her sisters and her parents together, and the other was of Brian's family. Oz had met them a few times before, and they were friends with Vicky's mom.

Brian's mother was seated, and older woman with long red hair that flowed out of frame. She did remind him of Miranda, which Amira was quick to point out and make a few “Oedipus complex” jokes. She looked very human though, Oz remembered almost mistaking her for one. Once he caught a feel of her power, he knew she wasn't, and was something much more powerful. Brian's dad stood to the side, he was pretty good looking, despite the rot that cut across his face like a scar. He also wore an eye patch, which Oz though was the coolest thing in the world, when he was in middle school. Standing in the center was Brian, looking just as he did in highschool.

“Is this from your parent's house?” Oz asked.

“It was a house warming gift.” Brian said.

Aaravi and Miranda were currently playing a game of air hockey. Brian seemed to be the referee, or maybe he was just being a spectator.

“It still delights me that you come from such a noble and old bloodline.” Miranda said, slapping the puck. “I still don't understand why you didn't take your mother's name.”

Brian shrugged. There was a smack as the puck broke through Miranda's defenses, and Aaravi cheered. Miranda pouted, crossing her arms.

“Let's do something different, I'm no good at this game.” She said.

“I got out the yearbook, why don't we look at that?” Brian offered.

“Perfect!” Miranda said, with a brief clap of her hands.

The four monsters crowded together on the couch, Miranda in the middle with the yearbook on her lap with Brian at her side, and Oz and Aaravi snuggled together on the other side. They flipped through the book, pausing when they came upon pictures of themselves, both cringing and admiring their past selves.

“Hey Vee, you are in the year book.” Oz said, pointing to a picture.

“Yeah, but I'm in the background.” She groaned.

“You're right next to Damien.” Miranda said.

It was a photo of the car wash they did for a fundraiser. In the foreground, Vicky and Scott held up signs for a topless car wash, while Damien, Liam were washing a young woman's car. The Slayer had burst from the bushes, carrying a water balloon full of holy water. The picture caught her mid leap, water balloon at the ready, Damien was mid turn, a splash of suds running down his chest.

“What ever.” Aaravi said. “Turn the page, Miri.”

“Ohhh, and here's one from our senior class trip.” Miranda said.

The picture was of the class in front of a bus in the woods. Both Aaravi and Brian looked disheveled, and the green eyed woman had a forlorn look to her.

“Turn the page again, please.” Oz urged.

It was nearly midnight by the time Oz and Aaravi were back in the carriage heading home. Oz had taken his shoes off, and Aaravi was snuggling against him. He had his arm around her middle, and her head was resting on his shoulder, her periwinkle hair draping down his chest.

He thought the visit went well, but it was hard to tell what everyone else thought. Miranda was very up front, so he knew she had a good time, but it was harder to gauge the others. Aaravi was bad at communication, and Brian could be completely unreadable. It did make the zombie appear cooler to Oz, but sometimes it made Oz paranoid that he was driving his friend nuts.

“That was fun.” Aaravi said, her words pulling Oz from the depths of his thoughts.

“You think so?” Oz said.

“Yeah. Brian and Miranda are pretty cool.” These words lifted a weight off Oz's shoulders.

“Maybe they could come over for dinner.” Oz said. “I could make a double batch of mango curry.”

“Better make it a triple batch.” Aaravi said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone had been having a good summer and staying safe. This was a fun chapter which got out of control, but in the best way. I hinted at it, but next chapter will be a flashback where we learn more of the infamous Senior Class trip.  
> Also, I need to wrap this story up before Monster Camp comes out, and makes everything about this non canon.
> 
> Also, Brian's parents are based after the lead characters from the manga Arthur Pyuty wa Yoru no Majo by Kigitsu Katsuhisa.


	6. Lost Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lets learn about this "Senior Class trip incident"

Hello dear readers, this is the Monster Prom Narrator. In the previous chapter of “Life is an Adventure” there were several mentions to a 'Senior trip”. Originally it was intended that the previous chapter would include a flashback, but too much time was spent on conversation and descriptions of food. The management decided to instead make the incident it's own chapter. Now that you have been informed, please enjoy this next instrumental of the wildly popular* Life is an Adventure!

*By 'wildly popular' we mean 'has more than 20 kudos', and my friends like it, so that's whats important.

Now that prom was over, the students of Spooky High were currently looking forward to the senior class trip. They spent all year finding ways to raise money, many of them where shenanigans that could easily blossom itself into their own chapter. There was the car wash of course, which was full of beefcake and fan service, followed by the cat cafe. At first, that was a bust, due to the only cat they had available not wanting to be involved (no one consulted Valarie before hand). Faith came through and managed to bring several dozen cats, many of which were adopted. Despite all of these fun shenanigans, it was the tried and true practice of selling candy bars which made the most money. ...Which was why the class trip was just camping in the near by woods.

It was the day before the trip, and the cafeteria hummed with camp based conversations. Oz sat with Aaravi, the two going over their plans as they ate lunch.

“So, I'll carry the food, and you'll take care of...” Oz said trailing off as he looked up at Aaravi.

“The weapons!” Aaravi grinned.

One of Oz's phobias face palmed, and the fearling wanted to follow suit but he didn't want to discourage his... Friend? Girlfriend? Make out buddy? A small sigh slipped from Oz.

“Okay. Weapons and camping gear.” Aaravi said.

“Hey Vee? I have a weird feeling.” Oz said.

“How so?” She asked, eyes softening.

“Like we should be out camping. Like we're meant to bond out in the woods together while having summer time shenanigans.”

Aaravi opened her mouth, probably to spit out a witty retort but stopped. She gave a small shrug.

“Actually, that does sound about right.” Aaravi said.

This odd train of thought was interrupted by someone clearing their throat behind the two. Oz looked up, seeing Brian, his brain giving him tiny hint of dopamine at the sight of a friend.

“Hey! What's up?” Oz asked.

“Yeah, cannon-fodder, what's up?” Aaravi added.

Brian's gaze locked onto Oz, his brows furrowed slightly. “We're going to get pizza for dinner. Do you want to meet us there?”

“Yeah. That sounds good.” Oz said, nodding.

“Alright. I'll go tell Blue.” Brian said, turning away. “Later Oz.”

The shadow man watched his friend leave, then turned to Aaravi. He couldn't help but massage his temples, nothing made him more anxious than seeing people he was close to not getting along. Well, next to nothing.

“I wish you'd be nicer to Brian.” Oz said.

“He's not nice to me.” Aaravi said.

“Because you're not nice to him.” Oz said, raising his voice slightly.

“I'm not nice to anyone.” Aaravi said lowering her voice.

Oz looked away. He felt a little bad about raising his voice, even if it was just at a normal talking volume.

“That's not true. You're nice to Vicky and Amira.” Oz said.

“Vicky's nice.” Aaravi said. “And Amira's one hell of a spell-caster. Have you seen her enchant a sword?”

“Brian's strong too. I bet he's got great... Strength stats.” Oz said.

The table was quiet. Both of them had finished their food, and even Oz's phobias had gone quiet, napping off their food comas. Was this a fight? Had he just had a fight with his girlfriend? Well, if she was his girlfriend, which he was pretty sure she was, she just wasn't very good at communicating that fact.

“Fine.” Aaravi finally said. “I'll be nicer to him. Will that make you happy?”

“It would make me super happy.” Oz said.

The bus arrived at the camp site, trundling to a halt. The students got their bags and slowly filed out, forming a line in front of the Coach. 

Aaravi was bouncing on her heels. Sure, she woke up at five to get on this stupid bus, and she did fall back asleep, but she was eager to move around a little. She spent her waking time on the bus looking out the window, and trying to think of how she would deal with Brian if they had to interact. There was also some time spent thinking about how forests are different from dungeons, and how she would have to alter her fighting style. 

“Ahh! Now that's some top notch fresh air!” The Coach said, taking in a deep breath. “Now, we're about two hours away from the camp site-”

There was a series of groans form the students. Aaravi rolled her eyes. They should have expected this, she didn't even actually go to this school and she knew the Coach would do something like this. How did she wind up on this trip? Who knows!

“Now don't give me that. We've been in the bus for three hours, you need to get some activity in you.” The Coach held up a bottle of water. “And don't forget to stay hydrated! We'll be making camp by lunch time.”

What Coach failed to mention was that this trail lead up a sheer cliff side, down into the depths of a cave, along a vast chasm which was guarded by meat thirsty demonic pterodactyls. If things continued like this, Aaravi might just have the best week of her life.

Sadly, that's now how the world works.

The class was taking a break. They managed to fight of the pterodactyls off and escape from the Cavern of Despair, so they deserved a chance to patch up their wounds and drink some water. They were currently on a mountain, not as high as the one they scaled earlier, but much more peaceful. The trees were too thick to see the valley bellow them but with how out of breath everyone was it was obvious they were pretty high up. If Coach was to be believed, they only had forty-five minutes of hiking to go. 

“Good job with the fireball.” Aaravi said, grinning at Amira.

“Yeah, gym class has really improved my aim.” Amira said, but winced slightly.

“Ami, stay still.” Vicky insisted.

The djinn had a small cut on her leg. It wasn't from the pterodactyl, but from slipping on the way out. Aaravi wasn't about to judge, it happens. Vicky sat next to her on the ground, putting a bandage on the cut along with some disinfectant.

“It was also cool how you shot that one down, before it could carry Liam off.” Oz said, sitting on a stump.

Aaravi scoffed. “I didn't do it for him. Dahlia was fighting like five of those things, and what kind of pal would I be if I let her boyfriend get munched by a dinosaur.”

“Pterodactyls are actually terasaurs.” Vicky cut in. “Also, you should be good, Ami.”

“I'm just glad it's over.” Brian said, leaning against a near by tree.

The others all echoed their agreements, but Aaravi was growing restless. She knew the others, especially Oz needed some time to rest, but she needed something to do. The Slayer got to her feet, stretching.

“I'm going to look over the cliff.” Aaravi said, pointing up the side of the hill. “I'm just going to see if I can see the camp... Or if there's anything dangerous. I'll be right back.” 

The mountain they were on was only steep on one side, the trail was about thirty feet from the cliff face. Aaravi ran up the slope, until the reached the cliff. They really were high up. She held onto a tree, and gazed down at the scene below her. It was a sea of trees with a few clear spots. Would the camp site be down there? Probably not. There were also some massive red wood trees that rose from the sea of greenery. It was pretty cool actually.

“Slayer?” A voice called, accompanied by the snap of a twig.

Aaravi turned her head, catching sight of Brian appearing through the shrubbery. Ugh, why couldn't it have been anyone else from the group?

“Breaks over. We have to keep going.” Brian said, stopping about five feet from her. “You really shouldn't be leaning over a cliff like that.”

If there was one thing Aaravi hated, it was being told what to do. She spun around, ready to stun the zombie with a witty one liner, but her equilibrium shifted. The ground below her crumbled, and she felt herself slipping. Her hand reached out to the tree, but she barely managed to scratch the bark before she tumbled backwards. 

“Aaravi!”

Everything went dark. Aaravi could feel herself sliding, but it didn't hurt as much as it should have, there was just a steady pressure all around her and the scent of earth. When she finally came to a stop, Aaravi opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was fabric, black and green. She pushed herself up in a panic.

“Let go of me!” Aaravi cried, pulling out of Brian's embrace.

“Gee, that's a funny way of saying 'thanks for saving my life'.” Brian said, letting go of her. 

Aaravi brushed herself off, while taking in the sights around her. They had fallen into the forest under the cliff, she couldn't spot a path anywhere, just trees and underbrush. 

“I would have been fine.” Aaravi said. “I have high defense.”

“That means nothing if your neck snaps.” Brian said.

She didn't want to admit it, but Brian had saved her life. He'd grabbed a hold of her and took most of the damage as they slid down the side of the side of the mountain. He was more dinged up than normal, his jeans and jacket were torn and there was a new chunk taken out of his left hand. That cliff has really done a number on him. Speaking of, that cliff was was to steep to climb without equipment. Damn it, why couldn't she have snagged the climbing equipment from earlier?

“My cellphone cracked, but my food and supplies are okay.” Brian said, looking through his back pack. 

“Do you want me to go ahead, and try and find the camp?” Aaravi asked.

“They'll probably come back, but we need to stay together.” Brian said. “Coach said we're less than an hour from the site.”

Brian closed up his back back, and got to his feet. 

“Where are you going?” Aaravi asked.

“Lets find a safe place to stay. It's a little bit to rough over here.” Brian said.

She walked with him a little ways until the reached a clearing. The sky above them was blue, the sun nearly at its apex. The zombie spotted a stump and sat down giving a soft sigh. 

“And now, we wait to be rescued.” Brian said.

Aaravi couldn't help it, she screamed. Not a scared scream, but one of pure frustration.

“Why?! Why did you have to check up on me!? This is all your fault!” Aaravi cried.

Brian didn't look upset or frightened by her outburst, he just met her glare with a steady stare.

“I know we aren't exactly friends, but I have experience with-” Brian started

There was a shadow, which Aaravi thought was just one of the clouds, then a massive form dropped from the sky, and was gone, along with Brian. Aaravi looked around the clearing, then to the sky, spotting a massive bird, clutched in it's claws was her companion.

“Oh my god! A giga-buzzard?” Aaravi managed.

The giant bird was a species that was developed by magic during one of the magic wars. It was created as a counter measure against necromancers, as it would feed off their zombie hordes. Aaravi read about this in his families library, which was a well of information about monsters and their histories. Now the buzzards were a protected species, living in national parks like this, and eating road kill. This must have been a bad year for road kill, or maybe the bird just saw an opportunity to go after it's natural prey.

Aaravi climbed up a tree, catching sight of the giga-buzzard flying towards the redwood trees. It looked like there was a nest in one of the massive branches. She had a goal! The canopy of the trees was so thick, Aaravi could easily jump from branch to branch, keeping pace with the birds glide.

In her mind, she could hear Oz's voice: “Brian's gone, and you did nothing? It's all your fault, you stupid monster hater!”  
She had to save that zombie. Even if he was just level one cannon-fodder, he was Oz's friend. Maybe he would like her more if she saved his life? Well, if you could call it a life.

Aaravi reached the redwood tree with the nest, and began scaling up, using her dagger to notch out handholds when needed. It was a good thing she made a habit of scaling up the side of Spooky High every morning, or otherwise she might not have had the strength to make it up to the nest.

She walked across the branch, which was as wide as a car, and peeked in over the nest, which was made from entire trees, bones and leaves. Aaravi caught site of three giga-buzzard chicks. There were the size of sheep and their bodies were covered in a coating of grayish yellow feathers. So this was why the giga-buzzard didn't eat Brian right away.

Aaravi knelt behind the nest, looking over her options. She couldn't kill the giga-buzzard. Not only was it protected, but it was powerful, she'd even read about it having an elemental breath attack, and she couldn't deal with such a high level power. Aaravi touched her bag of holding, and an idea came to her. As she looked through her bag, she was glad she never got around to cleaning out her inventory. She found exactly what she needed, and in massive quantities. 

“It's time to eat, birdies!” Aaravi cried, tipping out her bag into the nest.

From the small leather sack lump after lump of meat tumbled out, but not just any meat. She got this stuff all the time in drops, and she didn't have the right skills to use it. Selling it was a waste of time, since it was worthless. The nest now had at least two dozen flanks of rotting meat in it. The smell was hardly pleasant, but Aaravi was too proud of herself to care.

As the babies began to peck at the meat, Brian was dropped into the nest, right next to the edge where Aaravi was. The mother also entered the nest, giving a delighted caw as she began to eat the meat, no doubt to feed her babies.

“Aaravi?” Brian said as the Slayer touched his shoulder.

“Lets scram.” Aaravi said. “I don't want to see her puke that stuff up for her babies.”

The two made their way down the tree, Aaravi opted to jump from branch to branch, while Brian hugged the trunk. By the time they made it down, the sun was directly overhead.

“Well, now we're even.” Aaravi said. “You okay? That bird didn't take off any chunks?”

“I'm fine. Where did you get all that meat?” Brian said, brushing flecks of bark off his chest.

“Enemy drops.” Aaravi said. 

“I say we find someplace safe and wait for everyone.” Brian said. “And we need to eat lunch.”

“Why can't you just eat while we walk?” Aaravi groaned.

“I want to relax a little, after all that.”

Aaravi finally agreed. They two made sure they were under the cover of some trees and found a clear area to sit down and eat their food in. The area looked like it used to be a camp site, but was abandoned. There were several old logs for sitting on, a ring of stones, but now everything was surrounded by tall grass and saplings. 

“I'll make a fire.” Brian said, sitting down on one of the logs after testing it. “What should help them find us.”

“Makes sense.” Aaravi said, sitting on the opposite log.

Brian opened his bag, taking out a bento style lunch box. It was pink and made from stainless steel. No wonder it survived the slide down.

“That's cute.” Aaravi said. “Oz has two sort of like it.”

“I picked this out with Miranda. She really liked the pink ones, and I'm not about to complain about my girlfriend buying me a cute lunch box.” Brian said.

“I didn't mean to sound rude...” Aaravi said. “Oz asked me what color I wanted. I didn't care, so he just got me a green one.”

Brian's food looked pretty good. There was a sandwich, with some sliced vegetables and an apple. Had Oz made that lunch too? It didn't look as fancy as some of the ones he made for her, but she was realizing that when it came to her food he would go all out. Aaravi also had to remind herself that a main component of that sandwich was probably brains.

“Why aren't you eating lunch?” Brian asked.

“Because Oz was carrying the food.” Aaravi said.

“So you don't have anything?” Brian asked.

Aaravi shook her head.

“You had all that meat in your bag.” Brian continued, incredulous.

“I couldn't eat those. I go through food items really fast, and now all I have are health potions, and those do nothing for hunger.”

“Catch.” 

Aaravi's reflexes kicked in, and she caught the apple Brian tossed her. I was a green apple, which was fine. Just as long as he wasn't throwing a red delicious at her again.

“Thanks.”

“You need to get something in you. Who knows how long we'll be in here.” Brian said and took a bite of his sandwich.

“Would you have wanted any of that meat?” Aaravi asked, nibbling her apple.

“I don't like rotten meat.” Brian said.

Aaravi frowned. Did that mean he preferred his kill to be fresh, or even still living as he ate them? She shouldn't think about it. Still, did she really want to sleep near this guy?

“Hey!” Aaravi said jumping to her feet. “I'm going to trap something!”

Brian simply raised an eyebrow.

“Shut up! I'm going to catch us a whole deer, so you'd better get a fire roaring!” Aaravi said.

The sun was beginning to set, and Aaravi still had nothing. She made a rudimentary snare trap with rope and her dagger, with the apple core as bait. She's seen pretty much every animal go past; deer, raccoon, squirrels, rabbits even a fox. Not a one of them took the bait. The Slayer was getting sore from her position in the bushes. A smell hit her noes, one that caused her to shoot up, and run back to her makeshift campsite. After she got her dagger, of course.

“Cannon-Fodder! Someones roasting meat! We're saved!” Aaravi cried, bursting into the clearing.

Instead of finding the zombie sleeping, which was what she was expecting, she saw him kneeling next to the fire which was a blaze. Over the fire pit was a makeshift split, something that looked like a rotisserie chicken was mounted on the stick.

“... I got us some meat.” Brian said quietly.

Aaravi crossed her arms. “I could have gotten my own.”

Her stomach gave a loud growl.

“It's ready. If you want it.” Brian said, standing up.

There were no plates and the only thing close to silverware she had was her knife. The Slayer cut off a strip of meat and gobbled it down, followed by several more. Aaravi noticed some splatters of blood on the dirt. He must have had to clean the whole thing, she realized. When Aaravi got food from the monsters she fought, she always got it as fully prepared cuts of meat, when she did get meat. Sometimes it was fruit, drinks or even pasta, which was kind of strange, but who can argue with video game logic? Still, could she have caught her own rabbit? Could she have killed and cleaned it?

“Can I have the rest?” Brian asked.

Aaravi nodded.

Brian took the spit off the fire, and Aaravi wasn't ready for just how intensely he tore into it. He tore the meat off greedily until the bones were completely clean. Aaravi looked away.

“I'm going to get rid of this.” Brian said, getting up. “We don't want to attract any bears or anything.”

Aaravi had to admit, she was glad Brian had eaten, it made her feel safer. Still, she hoped that the fire would bring help. It was nearly nightfall? Where was everyone? Brian returned to the camp site, and got out his sleeping bag.

“Did you at least remember your sleeping bag?” Brian asked.

Aaravi nodded. “I'd like to do first watch, if that's okay.”

“Fine.” Brian said.

He was pushing together all of the dead leaves into one spot, sort of like a mattresses. He seemed very practiced, like he'd done that before. He joined Aaravi, looking into the fire. There was also a large stack of wood. When had he collected this? Probably while she was out trying to catch dinner.

“You know, Oz wants us to get along better.” Aaravi said

“Yeah.” Brian answered, still looking at the fire. “But it's kind of hard...”

“Because I'm such a jerk?”

“Because you're such a racist.”

Aaravi turned to fully look at him, but Brian was still staring at the fire, the light reflected in his dark eyes. 

“I didn't grow up in Monsteropolis.” Brian continued. “It was one of the safe places though, during the human uprising... A lot of places weren't so safe...”

All the green eyed woman would do was stay quiet and listen. A lot of feelings were bubbling up in side of her, and she wasn't good with feelings.

“My mom was... Well, she still calls herself a noble woman. My dad was her Follower, which was what they called zombie servants.”

“So you do have parents? I thought you were created by necromancy.” Aaravi couldn't help but interrupt.

“Normally, that'd be the case, but my mom was different. She was a witch, but not like the coven. They called them Night Witches, women who soul their souls to the devil for magic power. That was how she was able to have me.”

Brian put another bundle of sticks onto the fire. They burst into flames almost immediately.

“When humans became aware of monsters again it was refereed to as the second dark ages. I was about ten when we finally found Monsteropolis, and now we've got far more protection from the humans, but it wasn't like that when we were traveling on our own. We spent lots of time camping in the woods, since humans still like to avoid the woods when ever possible.”

What could Aaravi say? She never went back to the human world, there was no way she could have blended in. The only times she did was to visit the old family house, and even that was deep in some woods and abandoned. She didn't like the guilt she was feeling, she wished she could just disappear.”

“Oz is a good kid” Brian said, catching Aaravi off guard. “He's kind, a lot kinder than people deserve, and he's forgiving. In short, he's very soft.”

Brian turned to Aaravi looming over her easily, his dark eyes awash with a deeper anger than she'd ever seen. Even Damien would have been intimidated.

“I pisses me off when ever you go on your 'death to monsters' screed, but I control myself, because I know Oz likes you and doesn't like conflict.” Brian said. “But if I hear you do anything to him, anything to hurt him, I will personally come and tear that black little heart out of your chest. Do you understand?”

It took a moment, but Aaravi finally nodded her head. She didn't realize Brian could be so scary. Aaravi wasn't sure what to say or do, it was a lot to take in and process. There was a sound from the woods.

“Guys! Guys! I think I smell them!” That loud, happy voice was unmistakable.

In the woods they could see flashlights, and hear twigs snapping and their names being called. Brian was on his feet, waving his arms.

“It's us! Brian and Aaravi!” Brian shouted. “We're okay!”

Through the trees, four figures dashed into view. The smallest one rocketed right towards Brian, latching onto him.

“Ahhh! You're okay! I'm so happy!” Vicky practically sobbed.

The two were then picked up by Scott, who spun them around in a big hug.

“I found you!” The werewolf cried joyously.

“I knew you'd be fine.” Amira said, standing just out of Scott's reach.

“I was so worried.” Oz said.

Aaravi was still sitting down. It hardly registered to her that they were safe and things could go back to normal. She felt like shit, that was the easiest way of expressing her feelings. The Slayer hardly noticed Oz approach her.

“Are you okay, Aaravi?” He asked.

“Y- Yeah.” She said as he put a blanket around her and helped her up.

Oz lead her back to the rescue party. “I knew it was a good idea to send Brian out to get you. He kept you safe.”

“You're the one who asked him to come get me?” Aaravi said.

Oz flinched. “Well, I was a little worried, but I wanted you two to have more positive interactions.”

They rejoined the group, to much adulation and joy. Aaravi caught site of Brian, who was still close to Vicky and Scott, but now Miranda was against his chest, giving him the most powerful hug her delicate arms could manage. 

The zombie and the slayer looked at each other for a second. Aaravi didn't see the intense rage she noticed at the campfire (also, she was sure someone put out the fire too) but she still felt like shrinking away. It wasn't fear, but shame.

“I'm going to be nicer from now on...” Aaravi said quietly.

“What was that?” Oz asked.

“N- nothing!” Aaravi stumbled then added. “I'm just said I'm going to be nicer from now on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to lean a bit more into the Monster prom/Athrur Pyuty crossover, which pretty much caiters to only one person... Me. I hope you guys were okay with my self indulgent crap and enjoyed the chapter


	7. A Rough Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning! This chapter gets a little heavy. There's violence, talk of child neglect/abuse, and pregnancy. There is a happy resolution, but if you don't want to read about these things then please don't force yourself to.
> 
> This is a shorter chapter also, so I hope that doesn't disappoint anyone.

Who's idea was this?

Oz and Aaravi were in the middle of taking a walk in the park near their apartment. It was a nice day. The sky was a solid blue with the sun beaming down, but the chilly winds cemented this as 'sweater weather', or possibly even the dreaded 'light coat weather'. The leaves had already changed, and the scent of pumpkin spice was carried on the cool breeze, autumn was in full swing.

It wasn't that Aaravi hated walking, or even disliked the park, she just couldn't recall who had decided to take this walk. Had she wanted to get out of the house? Or maybe Oz had suggested it? Either way, as the two took a stroll past the duck pond, all Aaravi wanted to do was go home.

“Hey Oz?” Aaravi said.

“You doing okay?” Oz asked, giving her a smile.

“Yeah, I'm fine.” Aaravi lied. “Actually, is this a new path? It looks different.”

Oz shrugged. “There's a bench. Do you want to sit down?”

“I'm ok- Actually, yeah, that'd be nice.” Aaravi said.

They walked to the bench and Oz helped Aaravi to sit down. Her belly had gotten so big, that sitting down and getting up were becoming big productions, and not only that but she felt super sore, especially in her lower back. The adventurer couldn't wait to just get this over with, even though she knew that would lead to a whole new set of problems to deal with. Sitting down did make her feel a bit better though, especially when Oz sat down next to her.

The fearling was wearing a light coat over a sweater vest and a pair of slacks. He looked very 'dad' already, especially with the slight gut he was developing. It was extremely adorable. Aside from her coat, Aaravi was wearing some sweat pants and an extra large band t-shirt, they were the only maternity clothes she needed. Did she look like a mom?

“Oz. Do you think we'll be good parents?” Aaravi asked.

“We're gonna do our best.” Oz said. “That reminds me, you have a doctor's appointment tomorrow.”

“Another one?” Aaravi groaned.

The park was filled with life. Birds chirping, dogs walking, children laughing, the light conversation of other monsters caught on the breeze. In front of them was a tiny elderly mummy woman who was feeding the ducks.

“We've got to make sure you're healthy.” Oz said. “Both of you.”

Aaravi shifted on the bench, leaning forward like she was curling around her tummy. It was a beautiful day, the world done up in golden orange and blues, but she just couldn't shake this feeling from her.

“You know... They say you learn to be a parent from your parents and...” Aaravi began.

“I never had parents?” Oz asked.

“N- No! That's not what I meant.” Aaravi said, looking at Oz before staring at the ground. “I mean... My mom... I don't think I should do what she did...”

Oz placed a hand on her shoulder. “You're not like her.”

Aaravi raised her head, taking in his solemn expression. It still felt like her gut was in knots, but knowing that Oz was going to be riding shotgun on this journey known as parenthood made it a little less scary. Her lips quirked into a small smile.

“Thanks Oz.” Aaravi said.

“I know you'll be a great mom. I can just see you watching over them, teaching them how to stand up for themselves, and maybe even showing them how to properly use a butter knife.” Oz said.

Aaravi touched her belly, letting out a breath. Was that really what Oz thought she was capable of? She put her brain to good use too, thinking of what her husband would impart on their child, but was interrupted.

“I know you'll protect them, and you'd never force them to become a slayer, or tell them they are an embarrassment to the family name.”

Aaravi's neck snapped up, her emerald eyes locked on Oz. She bit her lip, trying to take in what Oz had said. She misheard him, right? There was no way he could have said those words.

“How did you know about that?” Aaravi said, her voice quiet. “How did you know m- mom said that?”

Aaravi never got an answer. There was a wet tearing sound, then a gush. Hot blood splattered Aaravi's face and torso as a hole tore open in Oz's chest. The fearling looked down, barely able to gasp as he took in the damage. His white eyes were so large but they were losing focus. Aaravi's breath caught in her throat, like she was choking on her own scream.

“Oz!?” She finally managed.

What was happening? An attack? In broad daylight? Her husband was dying, and she had no idea what the hell was happening. Why weren't there screams? A panic? Someone was just shot in the middle of the park for god's sake!

Her battle instincts were overridden by her worry for Oz. She had to keep him safe. She had to get him out of there and to a hospital or healers, or anyone who could help him.

Aaravi stood up and looked around the park for someone to help. No one. There wasn't a single soul to be seen. No people walking. No children playing. No old lady sitting by the duck pond. Everyone had gone, save for a figure who stood a few yards down the path. Aaravi opened her mouth, ready to ask for help, but something was off. This person was wearing a full black cloak with a broad hood that covered their face. Nothing else could be made out about them, just that they were tall.

“I've finally found you, slayer.” Said the figure.

Aaravi tensed, reaching down to support Oz, holding him against her in an attempt to stop the bleeding and keep him from passing out. She didn't know what else to do, healing was never her thing, and she never went to a single first aid class.

“J- Just hang in there Oz. I'll get you to a safe place.” Aaravi whispered to her husband.

It was as if ice water was injected directly into Aaravi's heart. A cold dread pulsing from her core and filling every fiber of her being. Had this been a victim of her families? Were they back for revenge? The sky had gone dark, in the distance glimpses of red lightning could be seen and the wind was picking up and lashing at her trembling form.

“Did you do this?” Aaravi growled. “Why?!”

“I am the most important person in your life.” The figure continued. “I took care of your brother, father, mother, everyone in your family. I am here to ensure that you follow the proper path.”

In her arms, Oz trembled, even through her clothes Aaravi could feel how cold he was becoming. She reached into her pocket, fishing out her cell phone.

“I'm sorry about what my family did, but I've given that up. I'll try and make it up to you, but I need to help my husband.” Aaravi said as she dialed 9-1-1.

The phone rang before a voice answered.

“9-1-1, what's your emergency?” A feminine voice said.

“My husband! He's been injured, we-” Aaravi began.

“Ma'am.” The voice on the other end of the phone said. “Do you think anyone is about to help you?”

The phone line went dead, and Aaravi let her phone slide out of her hand and clatter to the ground. What was happening? Why wasn't anyone helping her? It was just like when she was young. She shook her head, her frustration and helplessness turning into rage. The figure hadn't moved a single inch from where they stood.

“Why?! Why are you doing this?” Aaravi cried, glaring at the figure, tears making her vision blur. “Did my family kill yours? Is this revenge?! I'm sorry! I know I can't make up for it, but please!”

“You pathetic half breed... I'm so much more than that.” The figure said.

Aaravi trembled. It couldn't be...

“D- Dad?” She managed.

The being laughed piteously. Damn it! Oz's breathing was growing more labored with each passing second. She couldn't play twenty questions with this asshole. Making up for her family's mistakes could wait. Aaravi looked around the park, trying to find another soul, or even the best way to leave the park. Which way had they come in? Where was the exit? The park seemed to stretch out for miles.

“Looking for help?” The figure chuckled. “Why would anyone help you?”

“S- Shut up!” Aaravi cried, hand going for her dagger.

“You've grown so weak, depending on your husband and his friends. Will any of them come and see you once he's dead? They'll probably blame you for his passing, and rightfully so.” The figure continued.

Aaravi wanted to shout at them. She wanted to lunge forward like a freight train and wring their scrawny neck. Instead, she became aware of how still and cold her husband had become.

“Oz?” Aaravi gasped, before regaining her voice. “Oz!?”

“And once more, you are alone.”

There was no time for grief. Agony, real, physical agony caused her to cry out. Aaravi collapsed to the ground, realizing her pants were soaked and that the pain was localized in her belly. She was giving birth. How? Was this because of stress? There was nothing Aaravi could do, the pain was so intense.

“Yes, give birth to your child.” The figure said, now looming over her.

Had they moved closer, or gotten bigger? Maybe she was just seeing things. Another wave of agony filled her body, making her head spin.

“You'll try and care for them, you tell yourself, you'll be a good mother, but that's all a lie.” Their voice was a whisper in her ears. “You'll be tired, angry, and alone. It will be a matter of time before you vent your frustration with your words, or even raise your hand against them. And finally you will realize the only way to protect them is to raise them the way your mother raised you.”

She'd never felt pain like this before. All she could do was cry and push, just like she'd been told from TV and going to the doctors. The ground beneath her was so cold, but her body felt like it was on fire. Another contraction, another push. She screamed.

“Do you know who I am?” The voice said. “I am fate... This will all happen again, and there is nothing you can do to change it.”

Gritting her teeth, Aaravi clenched her first. She twisted, taking in all the pain, and smashed her knuckles into the face of the cloaked asshole.

“Oww! Aaravi!”

That voice. That wasn't the cloaked figure.

That was Oz!

***

Oz reached up, rubbing his jaw as he watched his wife open her eyes. He'd been sleeping pretty soundly, until he heard Aaravi. She only talked in her sleep when she was having a nightmare, and not only that, she had also been flailing so hard that she pulled all the blankets off of him. There was the possibility she had started going into labor, but that didn't seem like it.

“Oz?” Aaravi asked, her voice raspy from sleep.

“You were having a nightmare.” Oz said, lowering his hand from his sore jaw.

Aaravi looked around the room, then down at her belly, which she placed her hand upon. Was it some kind of pregnancy dream? Suddenly, his wife shot up, and had her arms around him. All Oz could do was squeak as she pulled him close.

“You're alive!” Aaravi's voice was muffled by Oz's chest.

It was a warm, powerful hug, a kind she only gave after something stressful happened or they had been separated. That must have been some nightmare. Resting his chin on her head, Oz hugged his wife back, pressing his body against hers. She felt so hot, not like she had a fever, thankfully but like she had been running or doing some other physical activity.

“You died.” Aaravi whispered. “In my dream. And then I gave birth, and this weirdo who called themselves 'fate' told me I'd be an awful mom, just like mine was.”

“That's terrible.” Oz said, giving her another squeeze.

Aaravi didn't like to talk about her nightmares, and would typically get irritated with Oz for asking about them. He was amazed she had shared this much information about this one. He rubbed her back, encouraging her.

“I also saw you die.” Aaravi whispered.

The room was quiet, just the two holding each other. Oz continued to rub Aaravi's back, giving her all the time she needed to take in her feelings and talk... If she felt up to it. The clock beside the bed read 5:57, and light was already starting to filter in from the curtains.

“I saw you die, and there wasn't a thing I could do about it.” Aaravi said, pulling away.

“It's a dream, Vee, it's okay.” Oz said. “I know you'd protect me if anything happened.”

Aaravi's face lifted, her eyes wide. “Do you really mean that? Y- you're not just being nice?”

Oz shook his head. “Of course not. I see you as my protector... Though I also need to keep you safe too.”

Another rib shattering hug was dispensed by his wife, but Oz didn't care, not as long she felt comfortable. His hand began stroking her hair, staying well away from her ears. The hold on him eased, his wife shifting a little.

“... I don't want to be like my mom...” Aaravi said.

“You won't.” Oz said.

“How do you know that?!” Aaravi snapped. “What if you die, or leave me? I don't even think any of your friends even like me!”

Oz was quiet, thinking deeply around the words he would use. Her words did sting, but she'd just had such a violent nightmare, she was entitled to it. Also, she was very close to giving birth, any that would make anyone tired and frustrated.

“I'll never leave you, Aaravi, and I'll do my best not to die.” Oz said. “I've always wanted a family, even though I've never been a part of one, until I met you. You mean so much to me.”

Aaravi's shoulders slumped, her brows furrowed. “I'm sorry, I'm doing the thing again. The thing where I get stressed and push you away.”

“It's okay. Do you want me to call up Norah? Maybe she can help?” Oz suggested.

Aaravi nodded. “Yeah, that would be- Aaaaaargh!”

Oz's wife doubled over in pain, almost as if wrapping herself around her belly. Oz's eyes went wide. It was happening. It was finally happening. The fearling grabbed his cellphone, calling for an Uber, then he helped Aaravi up.

“I th- think it's happening.” Aaravi gasped.

“Yeah. I'm taking you to the doctors.” Oz said.


	8. A New Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The baby is finally coming! Expect twists, turns and shenanigans!

Oz was proud of himself. He'd made sure to prepare overnight bags, remember his cell phone, lock the doors, and call for a ride. It was rare he was this on top of things. Five minutes later, as he and his wife rode in a Kia Soul driven by a fish man who refused to drive more than five miles under the speed limit, he was beginning to have regrets.

'Why couldn't I have bought a car?' Oz found himself thinking.

Sure you had to buy one, pay for gas, insurance, other upkeep, and deal with the nerve wracking action of actually driving the damn thing, but still. At least he wouldn't be in the back of someone else's vehicle with his screaming wife. The guy didn't seem bothered, which was good at first, Oz didn't want to make other people unhappy or uncomfortable, but he wished the driver would treat this with a little more urgency. Why couldn't he have at least sprung for a cab?

“Can't you go any faster? Please?” Oz asked the driver.

The fish man just glanced up into his rear view mirror at them. “Just relax, we'll get there soon enough.”

It was still early, before traffic really got going. It was before the nocturnal monsters got out of work and before the diurnal ones got up. This was prime time to drive like a mad man, but this guy just kept chugging along and humming along with the radio.

“I did tell you my wife is in labor, right?” Oz said.

“Yeah. Congrats man.” The driver said.

Oz shot a look at Aaravi who nodded. He knew that look on her face. It was her 'I have a plan so just go with it' look.

“I think my waters going to break!” Aaravi shouted.

The car went from 40 to 75 in an instant, barring down the empty street. Normally Oz would be horrified, but it had to share space in his mind with his fear of pregnancy complications. The car slowed down enough to take a corner, then stopped. 

In front of them were two monsters, one was a young dryad in a scout's outfit and the other was an elderly mummy. The kid was helping the old timer across the street, normally something that Oz loved to see but now...

Oz rolled down the window, and summoned his shadow powers. Under the mummy, a large hand made of shadows appeared, lifting them (and the kid) up, and depositing them across the street.

“Alright! Go!” Oz ordered. 

They drove, and turned the corner. Oz could just barely see the hospital, but realized they stopped again. Before them was a man who was leading an elephant across the street. Oz put his head in his hands. He couldn't even appreciate the fact that he was seeing an elephant, one of the few animals he wasn't afraid of, up close. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't have lifted that thing with his powers, so they would just have to wait.

Finally, the elephant crossed the road. Oz kept an eye out, fully expecting a whale (and possibly a pot of petunias) to drop from the sky in front of them and need a whole team to get it out of the way. Thankfully, the laws of narrative causality seemed to have looked upon Oz mercifully and they entered the hospital's parking lot. The car pulled up in front of the hospital, and Oz paid the driver. He got their overnight bags and opened the door.

“Can you walk?” He asked.

Aaravi nodded. “I probably could have lifted the elephant if I wanted.”

The two walked into the hospital, Oz watching Aaravi the whole time, making sure she didn't trip or stumble. She was still trying so hard to act strong, but he could tell she was pushing herself to her limit. They came to a stop at the front desk and Aaravi leaned against him, and Oz had to brace himself as she rested her full weight on him.

“Can I help you?” The receptionist asked.

“My wife's in labor.” Oz said.

“I- I'm fine.” Aaravi panted. “I just need to get this baby out.”

“Alright, we'll get your wife into a room, and we'll just finish up with the paperwork.” The receptionist said.

An orderly came with a wheelchair, and Oz helped Aaravi sit down.

“I'll be there soon.” Oz said. “Just try and relax a little.”

“It'll be okay.” Aaravi said, the slightest of trembles running through her. “Stop being so worried.”

As Aaravi was taken to a room, Oz got the paperwork. It took him way longer than he would have liked, over thirty minutes. Monsteropolis's health care was great, but there was so much paperwork. When he did finish, the receptionist told him Aaravi's room number and he went down the hall. 

He entered Aaravi's room, finding his wife on a bed with several orderlies around her. There was a twinge of dread at the sight of his wife hooked up to so many machines, but the shadow man had to remind himself they were just for small things like blood pressure and stuff.

“Hello sir. I will be taking care of your wife, you can call me Doctor Marbas.” Said the doctor. 

She was a tall demon woman, her dark hair was pulled back and she had rubber covers over her horns. He also didn't see her tail, so she probably had it tucked away.

“Is everything okay?” Oz asked.

“Of course. We just got your wife settled in.” Dr Barbas said.

“You doing alright, Vee?” Oz asked, turning to his wife.

Aaravi exhalied, blowing some hair from her face. “I just want to get this over with, or maybe sleep a little.”

His wife had changed out of her pajamas into a while gown. Oz didn't realize how tired Aaravi was. She did look a little pale and there were dark circles under her eyes. 

“I would recommend just relaxing for the time being. We will keep an eye on you, and if no one is in the room, you can press this button on your bed to call a nurse.” The doctor explained.

The staff left, giving the two some privacy. Aaravi just laid back on the bed, eyes closed and a small frown on her face. It was clear that his wife didn't want to talk. Oz took out his phone, the time flashing on screen. On a normal day, he'd be getting on the bus and heading to work right now. Shoot! He'd forgotten to call work! 

The fearling crept out of the room, and went to a small waiting area, which was abandoned, save for two kids who were watching TV in the corner. Oz dialed his work number, and waited.

“Hey boss... Yeah I'm fine. Actually, my wife is in labor. Yeah, it's a few days early. The doctor says everything is fine though. ...I could come in if- No? Thank you so much. I'll see you tomorrow... No? Next week is fine. Thank you so much!” Oz said, and hung up his phone.

Oz couldn't believe his coworkers decided they would cover for him for the next few days. After he took that day off five years ago, he was sure they would be riding his ass and making sure he never slacked off again. Oz realized he needed to contact his friends, but it was early, so maybe just a text would do. He sent messages to everyone, sure he wouldn't get a reply until at least breakfast, but his phone pinged.

“What!!! Which hospital?”

It was Amira.

“Everything is okay. It's just the nearby hospital. You know, the one by the swimming pool.”

“See U soon!!”

Oz raised an eyebrow. He hoped Amira wasn't serious, she probably had classes and stuff today. It would be nice to see her though. 

The fearling pulled up his Instagram and began to flip through. Damien had posted a picture of Missile Launcher sitting on Valarie's lap (extremely cute!), Vicky posted some pictures of food from when she was in Brazil (that moqueca looked to die for!), and... Oz froze. Miranda posted a picture of herself sitting in a hospital bed, Brian at her side, behind them was an ultrasound screen. She'd added the caption “We have a royal heir on the way!” followed by a string of enthusiastic, pink emojies. Oz recalled how jealous Miranda was about their baby and how eager she was to have her own. ...He didn't want to think about what her and his friend got up to after he'd left that night.

From the corner of his eye, Oz saw someone come down the hall. He looked up, having a hard time taking in what he saw, or should I say who he saw. Charging down the hallway, hair flickering from her fast pace, was Amira. Oz was just barely able to register that Polly and Cal were following behind her, before Amira jumped on him, capturing him in a deep hug.

“Ozzy! You're going to be a daddy soon!” Amira cried.

“The baby is still coming, right?” Polly asked. 

“Yeah, Aaravi's in her room, getting some rest.” Oz said.

“When I heard the news I had to come over.” Amira continued, giving him another squeeze, her body as warm as a radiator.

“Yeah, she made us all get up and come.” Polly said, leaning against Oz on the side opposite to Amira. “Not that I'm complaining. It's been a while since we hung out.”

“I want to support our friend, and I'm interested in learning more about the process of birth. Especially- Since it's such an important part of life.” Cal explained.

Had Amira glared at Cal? What was that about? The djinn let him go, and looked him over.

“Have you had breakfast yet?” Amira asked.

The shadowman actually had to think for a moment, then shook his head. As if on cue, his stomach rumbled.

“Let's get you something to eat.” Amira said, pulling Oz to his feet.

“There's a cafeteria nearby.” Polly said.

Oz looked back at Aaravi's room. There was the call button, and plenty of nurses nearby.

“She'll be fine. You need to get some food in you.” Amira said, leading him down the hall.

The cafeteria was a little bit busy, which made sense, it was nearly 8 am after all. Amira and Oz got in line while Cal and Polly saved a table for them. Oz didn't get anything super wild, just a banana, toast and a yogurt, while Amira got a quiche and an orange. Of course both of them got coffee.

“So, how is school going?” Oz asked, since they were seated at the table and had calmed their ravenous stomachs with some food.

“Good.” Amira said. “I just have one more course left.”

The djinn was taking engineering. It started shortly after she befriended Cal, and realized two things about herself: one, she had a robot kink, and two, she was a natural mechanic. She also said that it would be good to learn how machines worked, in case anything happened to Calculester.

Polly smiled, leaning back. “I just have my literature course, but that's an elective, so I'm pretty much done.”

The ghost was following her passion for chemistry, and was shooting for being a teacher. She made some jokes about being able to make her own meth, of course, but she was extremely passionate about the thought of teaching children.

“Things have been going very well for us. I've been getting work doing programming for video games.” Cal explained.

“That's awesome. Your VR world was pretty rad.” Oz said. 

“Speaking of the VR world, we've been working on something pretty amazing.” Polly said.

“P- Polly!” Amira stammered, dropping her fork as she raised her hands.

Oz quirked an eyebrow, feeling a bit lost. No way Amira would be this upset about a video game, even a weird, sexy VR game.

“Why are you getting upset, this is probably the best time to tell our friends?” Polly said

Amira sighed, and when looked back up she smiled. “You're right. Oz, we do have some big news.”

The fearling was quiet, waiting for his friend to tell him whatever it was that she wanted to share. It helped that he had no idea what it could be, so his imagination was pretty blank. Amira put her hands on the table, Polly grabbing one and Cal taking the other.

“While we were in the VR world, we all...” Amira said, giving a smile that was somehow both smug and sheepish. 

“We got virtual reality knocked up.” Polly concluded.

“Yeah, but only in the game world.” Amira said.

“It was just a joke at first. Just letting Amira carry the baby while we were in the game world. Then I carried it for a while. We got really into the idea of having a baby.” Polly explained.

“As did I.” Cal said. “I thought caring for succulents was as close as I could get to the joys of parenthood, but this changed everything.”

“Then I realized 'hey! We can give this kid a real body' so yeah... We're gonna be parents.” Amira said.

Oz was quiet. What he had just heard was so amazing, so unexpected. Oz wrapped Amira in a hug, almost as powerful as the ones his wife gave.

“I'm so happy for you! That's amazing!” Oz said, squishing his cheek against hers.

“We're thinking of naming them Victor, or maybe Tatiana.” Polly said.

Before Polly could continue. Oz's phone rang. He expected it to be one of his other two friends, but the voice was someone he did not recognize.

“Is this Oz Mishra?” The voice, probably a nurse or receptionist asked.

“Y- Yes?” Oz said.

“Your wife is going into labor. Would you like to be present? Hello?”

Oz had already bolted off, dropping his cell phone.

‘Oh god, why did I leave her side!?’ Oz thought as he ran. ‘I’m the worst husband! The worst!!’

Oz raced back to Aaravi's room, jumping over several people in the process, before a nurse stopped him. It was actually a good thing because the nurse told Oz that his wife was taken to the labor ward, and to follow him. Oz did so, and had to wash his hands thoroughly before he was allowed to see his wife. As Oz dried his hands, he could hear Aaravi's screams. Yup, that was her alright.

“She wants you to be present, are you okay with that?” The nurse asked.

Oz nodded, even though his skin had turned ashen. Seeing a birth might be a little scary, and kind of gross, but he needed to be strong. It was probably much scarier for his wife.

Entering the room, the first thing Oz saw was Aaravi on a bed, surrounded by medical staff. She was screaming, and her face was red and glistening with sweat. The shadowman raced to her side, cautious of the nurses, and held her hand, which was hot and slippery. Immediately, Aaravi cried out, and squeezed his hand hard enough he was worried something dislocated.

“A- Are you okay?” Oz stammered.

“Do I look like I'm okay!?” Aaravi snarled.

“It looks like you're fully dilated.” Dr Barbas said, a mask covering her face. “When you feel a contraction, you need to push!”

“I wanna die!” Aaravi cried, which turned into a scream.

Oz watched, feeling helpless as his wife cried out. He avoided looking at the doctors, not wanting to see everything that was going on down there. It seemed all he could do was let Aaravi crush his hand and scream out nonsensical obscenities.

“Oh god... I hate this... Why did I have to get pregnant?” Aaravi panted, looking up at the ceiling with weary eyes.

“You're almost there!” The doctor insisted.

How long had it been since this started? It felt like time lost all meaning here. Oz reached up, brushing away the hair that clung to her face. Aaravi's green eyes were unfocused, with heady dark circles under them, he'd never seen her look more tired or frustrated. 

“Y- you're doing great! Just a little more, and it'll be over.” Oz urged.

Aaravi's eyes rolled over to him. “Will I be able to sleep?”

“To your heart's content. Just bear with it, a little longer.” Oz urged.

Aaravi didn't speak, another contraction tore a scream from her. As her cry died away, another filled the room, a much quieter, softer cry. Oz didn't care about the mess that was pregnancy. He looked down at his child, held in the doctor's arms. A nurse cut the cord and cleaned off the baby.

“It looks like it's a healthy and sweet baby boy.” The doctor said.

Oz was happy. Not about having a boy, he didn't give a damn about that. The word he cared about was 'healthy'. 

“Can I see him?” Aaravi asked.

She still looked like the definition of the word 'tired', but there was something else now. A small smile played on her lips, and her eyes were softer. The doctor swaddled the baby, and handed him to Aaravi. Oz had never seen Aaravi be as gentle as she was in that moment. She took the baby, resting him against her chest. The expression on her weary face was one of such tenderness and love, Oz was worried his heart might burst.

“Hey there...” Aaravi whispered.

The child was small, his skin dark, like Oz's, and his tiny ears were pointed. Even though he looked nothing like the cute, rosy cheeked babies on TV, and appeared as if he could break at any moment, he had to be the cutest baby Oz had ever seen.

“Hello.” Aaravi gasped as the baby opened his eyes, a tear running down her face.

“My son...” Oz breathed, feeling tears come from his own eyes. “Our son.”

“We need to give him a name.” Oz said.

They'd spent plenty of time thinking about names. They poured over baby name books, doing research on the internet and even talking about which fictional characters they'd be okay naming their children after. A name they had discussed at length was Salil, the name of Aaravi's younger brother, who went missing when she was a child.

“Actually, remember that name we talked about? Kamalvir?” Aaravi asked, barely looking up at Oz.

He nodded. “Yeah. I think that fits him.”

“Hey Kamalvir. You're going to grow up and be brave and strong, and g-good at c-communication.” Aaravi said, gently touching his nose. 

Oz tore his eyes away from his baby long enough to see Aaravi's face. Tears were running down his wife's cheeks. Oz kissed her head, wrapping an arm over her and their son. They stayed like that for a long moment, just enjoying holding each other and being held. When Oz broke the hug, he saw Dr Barbas standing over them.

“Alright. It looks like everything is okay.” Dr Barbas said, removing her mask. “But your wife and baby should stay for an additional day or two, just so we can monitor them.”

Oz nodded. “Alright.” That did make him feel better, knowing doctors would be looking after both of them.

“Would you like to stay too. We're going to move her into the postpartum ward, and we can put her in a room with space for a cot.” The doctor continued.

“I'd love that actually.” Oz said.

The new family was moved into a new room, where Aaravi was able to finally get some sleep. Oz was tired, but he didn't care, he was spending some time with his new son. His sweater was off, and his shirt was unbuttoned so he could hold his son against him. Oz read that skin to skin contact was very important, especially during the first few hours. Oz didn't want to take any chances, and it felt peaceful, his son sleeping against him.

There was a stirring, and Oz looked down, seeing that Kamal awoke from his nap.

“Hey little guy.” Oz whispered.

Kamalvir made a small sound, making Oz smile. The shadowman was hit with another wave of overwhelming emotion. This was his baby. He was holding his baby in his arms. He was a father.

Oz was awoken from his thoughts by a knock on the door. Oz looked up as a nurse slowly opened the door, peeking inside.

“Excuse me, but you have some visitors.” The nurse whispered.

Aaravi was in bed, sleeping like a rock. That woman could sleep through the end of the world. Oz nodded.

“Send them in. It's fine.” Oz said.

“How’s my favorite new dad doing?” Amira asked, walking in.

“Ohhh! That's the baby! They're so small!” Polly gasped, floating up to Oz.

“Is it okay for us to talk at this volume?” Cal asked.

“He just woke up, and she's slept through louder.” Oz said.

Everyone was admiring Kamal, and Oz felt both proud, and a little intimidated. Amira looked up at him, and ruffled his hair.

“Would it be okay for me to hold him?” Amira asked.

Oz looked at his son, then Amira. He couldn't live with himself if anything happened to his newborn son, but he trusted Amira with his life.

“Alright. Be sure to support his head.” Oz said.

Amira took him, holding him with the utmost care and gentleness. “Hey little pal, it’s your buddy Amira. We're going to be best friends!”

“So what's his name?” Polly asked. 

“He's Kamalvir.” Oz said. 

“Nice. I'm sure he'll grow up to be a total badass, heart throb.” Polly said, then smirked. “Nice dad bod by the way.”

Oz blushed closing his shirt. Even if it was a long time since high school, it still made him blush when the legendary Polly Geist complimented him.

“We got a call from Brian.” Amira said, sitting down next to him. “He told us about his baby.”

“Oh yeah, I saw on instagram.” Oz said.

“Oh, Oz.” Cal said, fishing something out of his pocket. “Earlier when you ran off, you left your phone.”

The robot handed Oz his phone, which he accepted sheepishly. Oz looked at it, his eyes widening when he saw a missed call. It was Vicky's number. Oz called her, barely getting out an apology to his friends before that familiar, peppy voice answered.

“Ozzy? Is that you?” Vicky said.

“Sorry I missed your call.” Oz said. “Aaravi went into labor.”

“You're a daddy now! That's so cool! What's the little sweetheart's name?” Vicky said, talking at a million miles a minute.

“Kamalvir.” Oz said.

“Aww, what a good name. The reason I called was cause I have some news too!” Vicky said. “I'm pregnant!

“What?! Oz cried, getting to his feet.

The three looked at him. Aaravi rolled in her sleep.

“Did you tell you she’s also preggo?” Polly asked, raising an eyebrow.

“She told you?” Oz asked.

“Yeah, after you ran off.” Amira said, then continued to coo at the baby.

The feeling of shock quickly wore off as Oz sat back down. Instead it was replaced by a much stronger and warmer sensation.

“You’re going to have lots of friends soon.” Amira continued to talk to the baby. “Our little robot, and a mermaid zombie, and now a franken puppy. Isn’t that cool?”

“S- Sorry for yelling, Vicky. I was just a little surprised.” Oz said.

“It’s okay. I’m just so happy! Not only am I having a baby, but all my friends are having babies!” Vicky cheered.

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool.” Oz said.

Maybe all their kids would wind up being friends? Oz could only hope.

“But I should go. Scott and Vera are talking about nursery colors.” Vicky said. “I can’t wait to see Kamalvir!”

Oz said his goodbyes to Vicky and hung up. He felt overwhelmed, but more importantly he felt happy. He watched as Polly took the baby, with Calculestor standing right behind her. The ghost woman was doing a good job, making sure to support his head and everything

“Want us to stay a bit?” Amira asked. “We can at least pick you up some lunch. Hospital food is so boring.”

Oz squeezed Amira’s shoulder, feeling grateful. There was so much Oz had to be thankful for. His friends, his family, the prospect of pizza for lunch!

“You’re the best.” Oz answered.

“No problem. Being a parent is a lot of pressure, my guy.” Amira said.

“Yeah.” Oz answered. “But it’s kind of cool too.”

Famous last words?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With a heavy heart, I must inform everyone that this is the penultimate chapter of Life is an Adventure. Since Monster Camp is coming out this month, I figured it would be good to wrap this fic up, before the games contradict everything about this fic. ...I'm still probably going to get people saying "Hey! Aaravi's favorite food is hummus! Not this mango curry trash!" without looking at the upload date. Oh well.  
> This has to be my longest solo fic, or at least the longest one I've actually posted. I had a lot of fun, writing this chapter by chapter, and I learned a lot. I hope that I'll be seeing more OzxAaravi fics in the future. If not from this fic, but because of Monster Camp.  
> See you all next time for the thrilling conclusion to Life is an Adventure!


	9. And the Adventure Continues!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, the story is coming to an end. There will be an epilogue, but the story proper is over. It's kind of a flash-forward, where we get to see everyone's kids, grown up and getting ready for Monster Prom.  
> I hope you have fun reading, and hey! Monster Camp is coming out tomorrow, as of this writing.

It wasn't easy. Oz knew that, Aaravi knew that, the whole world knew that! Even though both parents knew taking care of a kid would be rough, they still felt under prepared. Kamalvir tore through their supplies, leading to many late night bus trips, and eventually prompting Oz to buy a car. Kamalvir would also cry at the drop of a hat. Once Oz accidentally let a cupboard door thud closed. Not a slam, he simply closed the door with the tiniest hint of force, and the sound caused his son to wake up and start bawling. There was also the fact that their son would sleep for an hour, then start crying, even in the middle of the night. In fact, he seemed to love waking up at night.

It was Kamal's sleep schedule that created one of Aaravi's fondest memories. She woke up one morning, before the sun rose, and found her husband sitting next to the crib. Somehow he fell asleep completely upright, blanket wrapped over his shoulders. Aaravi couldn't help but plant a small kiss on her snoozing husband's forehead, only for Oz to wake with a start and cause Kamalvir to burst out crying.

Despite all the hardships of raising a baby, the rewards were far more bountiful. The first time Kamalvir crawled, his first bite of solid food, his first step, every memory was worth more than gold to the couple. His first word had been 'mommy' and it took Aaravi nearly an hour to stop crying.

There was also the day Oz decided to use Aaravi’s charm to turn into a chinchilla, just so he could relax a little. He felt very bad afterwards, realizing his wife had to take care of both her son and a chinchilla, but he did feel calmer afterwards.

Kamalvir's new talents did lead to some problems, mainly his new found mobility. The little shadow elf, as they referred to him, was extremely curious. He was a bit of a scaredy-cat, but it only seemed to happen when it came to books or movies. When it came to the real world, Kamalvir was far too eager to explore, touch and even climb onto things.

When Aaravi came to the library while Oz was at work, in the five seconds the two looked away from him, Kamalvir ran off and started pulling books off the shelf. Oz wasn't happy, but he was glad his son hadn't tried to climb up the shelf, or worse, pulled on the shelves down on top of himself. Oz and Aaravi had to keep an eye on their boy at all times.

The two monsters settled into a routine. Oz worked four days a week, and cooked, while Aaravi went back to adventuring and freelance mercenary work. Of course, this was after Aaravi was back in fighting shape, which happened only a few months after giving birth. Oz was always amazed by just how hearty his wife was. They did try to spend as much time as possibly together, watching over Kamalvir and bonding with each other. During these months, despite all the stress, sleepless nights and arguments, Oz and Aaravi grew even closer together.

It wasn't just Oz who was adjusting to being a parent. Amira built a body for her daughter, Tatiana. It was small, the size of a normal baby, with a LED screen for a face and a tiny tongue of blue flame on her head. Cal said they would continue to upgrade their daughter, as she grew, just like a real monster.

Miranda gave birth to a healthy undead mer-boy, and wouldn't stop spamming all her social media with baby pictures. Occasionally Brian would sneak into a photo, the look of fatherly pride on his face was undeniable. Sadly, the family was staying in Atlantica, to ensure no medical complications would pop up. Oz missed his friend, but he understood. The time Kamal got a stomach ache, the poor fearling was up all night, fretting and worrying about his boy.

Vicky gave birth afterwards, though sadly she had to move. Something about Vera's work, she couldn't get into it too much. Needless to say their weekly get together was a thing of the past. Thank goodness for the internet, that way they could still stay in touch. Oz recalled waving hello to the little dark haired werewolf girl over a Disgustcord chat. The tiny baby girl was so full of energy, it made Kamalvir seem like a slug.

There were more surprises to come. Valarie and Damien invited the three over to dinner. That was when the two talked about their plans for marriage, and that they were going to have a baby. Damien thanked Oz, telling the shadowman that because of his advice, he actually talked with Valarie about his feelings. The two talked it over, and when Val saw how much it meant to Damien, she was willing to give it a shot.

Oz asked if the prince was going to take over the 8th circle. It was Val's turn to talk, giving a small chuckle and explaining that she was the one training to rule over hell. She wasn't as overtly ruthless as her gorgon sister, but the cat woman could be pretty sly.

The next surprise was from Aaravi. It was shortly after Kamal's third birthday, and the shadowman had come home from his day at work. Aaravi was quiet, sitting at the couch watching Malardsagas with Kamalvir snuggled up next to her, eyes glued to the screen.

“Is something wrong?” Oz asked, seeing Aaravi's furrowed brow.

Aaravi bit her lip. “I bought a pregnancy test... It's positive.”

Oz walked closer to the couch. Inside of him was a storm of emotions, each of them raging against the others, eager to be at the forefront of Oz's mind. This wasn't something they had really talked about, the occasional off handed comment about maybe trying again when they were more settled down, an odd joke about giving Kamal a friend. Nothing serious. The storm inside of him focused, settling on one solitary emotion.

Oz got down onto his knees next to the couch. He reached up, and placed his hand on Kamalvir's. His son's hand was so small, but so warm, with those adorable pudgy fingers.

“Daddy! Watching ducks.” Kamalvir protested.

“Hey, Kamal.” Oz said in a soft voice. “You're going to be a big brother.”

This news caused the boy to go quiet, before giving a cheer, and hugging his dad.

After celebrating and coming to terms with this news, Oz and Aaravi realized they should look into getting a bigger house. They still had some time though, as the baby wouldn't be coming for a while. Kamal was getting used to having his own room, but he still spent every other night sleeping in his parents bed. Oz couldn't turn his son away, and Aaravi was always the first one to embrace Kamal and pull him onto the bed.

The family was able to buy a small house, one close by a school, while still being within easy driving distance to the library. It wasn't a mansion, but it was a small two story, with three bedrooms and a nicely sized backyard. One warm September morning, Oz and Aaravi saw Kamal off as he went to his first day of school. Kamal was shy, but the little guy was very smart, and loved reading even more than his dad did.

The family grew bigger. Not just getting a little sister, but a little brother followed soon after. Oz was happy to give up his library slash office so Kamal could have his own room and not have to share with Olivia and Salil. Olivia was loud and small. From birth she had screamed the loudest and refused to be ignored. It wasn't to say she wasn't sweet or kind, but she had a presence and knew how to get all eyes on her. Salil was the youngest, and the moment Aaravi saw him, she knew he had to be named after her missing brother. Oz would find her holding Salil to her chest, holding him with a grip that was both harder than steel and gentler than cotton. She would whisper things like “I'll keep you safe” and “I'll never lose you.”.

Around the time Kamalvir turned eleven, all of Oz's friend's seemed to reappear in his life. Vicky moved back to Monsteropolis, mentioning something about how Vera said it was “safe now”. Brian returned, since he'd started playing football again and was going to play for the city's team. Amira was taking a break from her job as the lab, meaning she could hang out again. She'd also been able to give her daughter a body that was able to control her strength and fire powers. Everyone just needed to spend some time with their family, growing and developing themselves, and now they were all ready to connect again!

Better yet, the kids all seemed to hit it off!

Kamal was in his second year of high school by the time all of the color squad returned to Monsteropolis, and he knew a little bit about them but not a whole lot. It started with Francesca, Vicky's eldest daughter, carrying Kamalvir home one day. Frankie found Kamalvir on the sidewalk, his ankle sore from tripping over a root that broke through the concrete. The shadow elf's legs were fine, just a little tender, but he appreciated what Frankie did. The next morning the wolf girl was standing outside the house, waiting to walk to school with Kamal.

The next week, Kamal called home, asking his dad if he was allowed to hang out with a friend after school. Normally Oz and Aaravi were out after the kids got home, but if Kamal had to stay late he would call home, and one of them would get back to the house. Salil and Olivia were both too young to be by themselves.

“Yeah that's fine.” Oz said. “Are you going over to Francesca's house?”

“No. Frankie has practice today. I'm going to the mall with a new friend.”

Oz was interested. “What's their name?”

“Tataina.” Kamal answered.

“Alright. Have fun. I'll come home early.” Oz said.

It was only after he hung up the phone did he realize that Tataina was Amira's kid. He immediately called all of his friends, asking all of them for a Saturday meet up.

Miranda and her family moved back into the nearby castle, the one Oz and Aaravi met them for dinner at over a decade ago. It was just as splendid as ever, and the best place for a get together of four families. In between conversations and food, Oz noticed that Kamal was talking with Arthur, Brian's eldest son. It made sense, they were the same age and had two younger siblings. It was only when the night was coming to a close, and they were getting ready to go, did Kamal ask if he could spend the night. Oz said yes. Even if it was a school night, both boys were going to Spooky Middle School, and Arthur said he did have clothes for Kamal to wear the next day.

There were many other events, such as the big football game, the library heist, and team building Tuesdays, and the four monsters grew closer and closer. There was lots of laughter and tears, fears and victories. It was on this ordinary day that Kamal found himself in the bathroom, doing his best to hold back tears. On either side of him, were two of his friends, Arthur and Tataina.

“Come on, buddy.” Tataina said, offering him a tissue. “It can't be that bad.”

“Yeah, surely you must be dramatizing what happened.” Arthur said, back hunched so he was level with Kamalvir.

The robot/specter/djinn and the undead merprince had been discussing who they would take to prom, when Kamal bolted past them. They followed him into the bathrooms, where he sank to the floor, his body trembling, the phobias on his shoulders were doing their best to cheer him up, but the shadow elf just wasn't having it. He was just crouching on the ground, not actually sitting on the floor or a public restroom. That meant there was hope, Kamal's sadness levels hadn't bottomed out.

“...I shouldn't have lied to Linda. I'm the worst. I can't believe I lied...” Kamal muttered.

Tataina lifted her screen, looking at Arthur, who met her gaze. It was well known that their friend had a huge crush on the princess of hell. The cat demon was pretty incredibly, with an infectiously laid back attitude, cute ears and the nicest hair in all the school. Apparently her and Kamal used to be friends, but that was back in elementary school.

“We all make mistakes.” Tataina said.

“Remember the chicken tenders incident?” Arthur said.

“D- Don't bring that up!” Tataina said, covering her screen with her hands.

“... I need a time machine... That's the only way to fix this...” Kamalvir said.

Arthur put his hand on Kamal's shoulder, but it got no reaction.

“Come on chum, talk to us.” Arthur said.

Kamal didn't react, but a phobia did rub against Arthur's large hand. The little guys seemed down, but they hadn't melted or changed into anything. Another good sign. They just needed to stick with it, and support Kamal. This wasn't the first time he'd gotten like this.

“Maybe you could call up one of your servants?” Tataina asked. “Maybe have them do a dance or tell a joke? Something to cheer up Kamal?”

“Such a thing wouldn't bring our friend solace.” Arthur said. “That and my father would be cross if I were to use a servant too frivolously.”

Before the two could brainstorm some more, the door to the co-ed bathroom was thrown open. In the square of light stood a small, but powerful figure who then strode in, joining the three monsters.

“Guys! I've been looking everywhere for you!” Frankie cried.

“Hey Frankie.” Arthur said.

“Yeah, we-” Tataina began.

“I was playing dodge-ball, and Blobbalina was on my team! She said she really liked being on my team! I'm so happy! She likes me!” Frankie cried, jumping for joy.

It took the wolf girl another moment to take in the room. She too crouched down, looking at Kamal, her thick brows furrowed with concentration. She knew something was wrong, and she was going to get to the bottom of this!

“You're sad!” she stated.

“He was talking to Linda, but something went wrong.” Tataina said.

“He's inconsolable.” Arthur said.

“What's wrong?” She asked, directing the question at Kamal.

Before the two other monsters could explain what they'd piece together, Kamal cleared his throat. Arthur felt like a weight was lifted off his shoulders, and Tataina looked heavensward. If there was anyone who would cheer up the shadow elf, it was Frankie.

“I was in class, and Linda was talking about all the concerts she'd been too. All the cool rock and heavy metal ones... It sounded really awesome. She asked me if I'd ever been to any and I... panicked. I said I'd been to a ton.” Kamal explained.

“So it's just like the chicken tenders incident!” Frankie marveled.

“Can we PLEASE stop bringing that up!” Tataina cried, screen turning an alarming shade of blue.

“She asked me about specific concerts, and I kept lying. I said I saw the pyrotechnics incident of 68... And she said it happened in 71! Oh my god! I looked so uncool and stupid!” Kamal cried, covering his head.  
“”That's all?” Frankie said.

Kamal lifted his head, looking up at Frankie. His friend was completely serious, though her expression was one of kindness and relief.

“B- But she thinks I'm a lame idiot.” Kamal stammered.

“I thought something really bad happened. Like Linda became your sworn enemy, or you dropped your lunch, not something small like this.” Frankie said, standing up.

“B- But...” Kamal tried to form words.

“Look! Who was the person who said we should explore the catacombs of Atlantica?” Frankie said, leaning forwards, looking Kamal right in the eye.

Kamal looked from Tataina to Arthur. “...Me?”

“And who was the one who didn't freak out when... someone ate the map?” Frankie continued, looking slightly sheepish before regaining herself.

“Me?”

“And who was the one who came up with the strategy for beating the hydra minotaur, leading us to the exit, and getting us home safely?”

“Me!” Kamal said, his voice gaining strength.

“Any you're not going to let a little set back like this keep you from going to monster prom!” Frankie cried.

“No!” Kamal cried.

“You're going to keep at it, and not give up!”

“Yeah!”

“What are you going to do!”

“Not give up!” Kamal cried, throwing his fist in the air.

“I'm glad you're feeling better.” Tataina said, getting to her feet.

“Thank you, Francesca.” Arthur said, also getting to his feet and patting his friend on the head.

“It's no problem-” Frankie paused, and lifted her nose. “We've got to go!”

“Teacher?” Tataina asked.

“Martin Jr?” Kamal said.

“The ice cream wizard?” Arthur guessed.

“Just the two of you.” Frankie said, grabbing Tataina and Arthur's arms. “Linda's coming!”

“W- What?” Kamal stammered.

“We'll leave you alone. Do your best!” Frankie said, helping Tataina out the window.

“B- But what if I mess up?” The shadow elf stammered.

“Just be yourself!” Frankie cheered.

The three managed to escape just before the door to the bathroom opened, revealing Linda. Kamal's freckled cheeks glowed red at the sight of the cat demon, wearing a worn band shirt and torn jeans. To him, she was the very embodiment of cool.

“Oh, Kamal. What's up?” Linda asked, glancing up from her phone.

“N- Nothing much.” Kamal answered.

She wasn't looking at him like he was scum, that was good. She actually seemed pretty happy to see him, going as far as to put her phone in her vest pocket, and give him her attention.

“You go to Miss Harpy's history class, right?” Linda asked.

Kamal nodded. It was one of his best classes, actually. He loved reading, and his dad spend a lot of time telling him about what he'd experienced during his life. There were also the artifacts his moth collected throughout the house, making history a part of his every day life.

“You're also into exploring tombs, too?” Linda continued.

“Since I was five.” Kamal said.

Linda raised an eyebrow. “I believe you.”

The shadow elf thought his heart would explode, but then Linda chuckled. It wasn't a mean laugh, just amused.

“Relax. It's fine to be a concert virgin. I'm actually an adventure virgin. Miss Harpy says I could do some extra credit, and explore a tomb. Not to bring anything back, but just to take some pictures and write a report about it. Any advice?” Linda said.

“Actually, maybe we could go together?” Kamal asked.

“Cool.” Linda smiled. “It'll be a real adventure.”

Thank you for reading!


	10. Epilogue

It was late one evening when Oz decided to make some tea. The house wasn't silent but quiet, with gentle sounds adding to the white noise. The hum of a nearby TV, the steady drone of a shower, and muffled, one-sided conversation coming from one of the upstairs rooms, all the peaceful sounds of a lived in home. After Kamal moved out, there were still two kids in the house, though he'd had a conversation with his daughter earlier. Olivia was thinking about moving out too, once she entered Spooky High. Gosh, two of his kids were moving out, all that's left would be Salil, at least until his turn came. Maybe then Oz could have his study back. Or maybe Aaravi would want to move back into an apartment? He told himself he could think about that later, but time seemed to be moving faster these days.

Oz sat down at the counter of his kitchen and gazed out the window. The sun had already set, leaving the sky a velvety black. Saturday was coming up. It wasn't too cold out, maybe they could have a barbecue? Aaravi was the one who knew how to use the grill, so he'd have to ask her.

“Hey. Is there enough for two?”

Oz was so deep in thought he didn't hear the shower shut off and Aaravi’s approach. He looked up to answer, and his breath caught. His wife was wearing an old bathrobe that was worn with age but was still very comfy, and her long hair was still a little damp, clinging to her skin.

“Yeah.” Oz said with a nod.

Even after all these years, Aaravi still stunned him.

The adventurer poured herself some tea, added sugar, and then some milk from the fridge. Only after she took a taste, did she sit down next to him. When it came to drinks, she'd developed a real sweet tooth.

“So, how was the dungeon?” Oz asked, pouring himself some tea.

“Okay.” She answered. “The loot was nothing to write home about but it had some pretty tough enemies.”

“Maybe I could come with you some time? How long's it been since we explored a dungeon together?”

“It's been a while. I don't suppose you've been brushing up on your magic?” Aaravi said.

Oz held up his hand, and furrowed his eyebrows. In the fruit bowl there was an apple with a bruised spot, but the discoloration quickly faded.

“Healing magic? Nice!” Aaravi smirked. “We'll be a great team! You, me and Damien!”

“You've been dungeon crawling with D?” Oz asked.

“Yeah. Val used to come along too, but hey, she's ruling hell and probably the black market too. Hey! Before I got to the dungeon, I saw one of your friends!” Aaravi said.

“Who?”

“Brian! We actually had brunch together.”

Oz smiled. “I'm so glad. You've actually made a lot of friend's Aaravi. You've been teaming up with Amira, and Vicky made you that really nice armor too.”

Aaravi looked down at her tea. “I guess you're right. Who'd have thought I'd have so many...”

Oz could see it. Aaravi was getting emotional. He'd known her long enough to tell when she needed emotional support, or just a hug. The shadowman got up and hugged Aaravi, resting his chin on her head. He could feel her tremble in his arms.

“You've grown so much, but you're still my powerful, stunning slayer.” Oz whispered.

“Thank you.” Aaravi breathed, hugging him back. “Thank you so much for going on the first adventure with me!”

“Of course.” Oz said. “But the adventure isn't over yet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it! I can't believe I actually finished this before Monster Camp came out! I just really love Aaravi, and maybe I've been projecting onto her a bit. Oh well. I feel I've come a lot way, including when it comes to writing. Just a few years ago I never would have been able to write a multichapter fic, especially not one written by the seat of my pants like this. I hope everyone enjoyed it!


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